What is the Eisenhower matrix?
The Eisenhower matrix is a simple way to decide what to work on. You ask two questions about every task: is it urgent, and is it important. The answers put the task in one of four boxes, and each box has its own action.
It is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, who is said to have used the idea to run his own days. In a 1954 speech he quoted a university president who said that what is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important. Stephen Covey later made the grid popular in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Want the longer version with a worked example? Read the Eisenhower matrix guide.
The four boxes and what to do with each
Do first (urgent and important). Do these today, before anything else.
Schedule (important, not urgent). Give each one a day and a time on your calendar.
Delegate (urgent, not important). Hand these to someone else, or do them in one short batch.
Let go (neither urgent nor important). Drop these, or park them until something changes.
How to use this Eisenhower matrix maker
Type your tasks one at a time and press Enter. Then drag each one into a box. On a phone or with a keyboard, use the Move to menu on any task. If you are not sure where something goes, press Help me sort and answer yes or no to two questions.
Your matrix saves on this device as you go. When you are done, copy it as text, print it, or download it as an image. Nothing you type is uploaded.
Mistakes that make the matrix less useful
Calling everything urgent is the most common one. Urgent means a real deadline or a person waiting, not a feeling of pressure. If a box fills up with tasks that only feel loud, ask what happens if each one waits until tomorrow.
The second is leaving the important but not urgent box empty. Those tasks have no deadline pushing them, so they only happen if you give them a time. A time-blocked calendar is the usual fix.
If your list is too long to sort, start with a brain dump first, then cut it down.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Eisenhower matrix?
- A 2 by 2 grid that sorts tasks by two questions: is it urgent, and is it important. Each task lands in one of four boxes (do first, schedule, delegate, let go), and each box has a different action. It is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, who is said to have organized his own workload this way.
- Is this Eisenhower matrix maker free?
- Yes. There is no account, no email and no limit on how often you use it. Your tasks are saved in your own browser and are never uploaded.
- How do I decide whether a task is urgent or important?
- Urgent means it has a real deadline or someone is waiting on it soon. Important means it moves forward something you care about, like a goal, your health or a relationship. A task can be one, both or neither. The Help me sort button asks exactly these two questions for each task.
- How many tasks should end up in Do first?
- There is no fixed number. If most of your list lands there, check whether the deadlines are real or whether the tasks only feel loud. A shorter Do first box is easier to finish today.
- Can I save, print or share my matrix?
- Your matrix saves on this device automatically. You can also copy it as text, print it, or download it as an image. There is no share link, because your tasks stay on your device.
Keep going
- The Eisenhower matrix: how to sort tasks by urgent and important
- Feeling overwhelmed? What to do first
- The Ivy Lee method and the 1-3-5 rule
- Wheel of Life Assessment: Rate all 8 areas of your life in two minutes. See exactly where the gaps are.
- Pomodoro Timer: 25 minutes of focus, 5 minutes to breathe. Free, no account needed.
More free tools: all 8 tools.