Eisenhower Matrix Online
Sort your to-do list by urgency and importance, then start with what matters. Also called the urgent-important matrix or the four quadrants of time management. Free, no sign-up: your tasks stay in this browser.
To sort 0 tasks
New tasks land here. Sort them with two questions, drag them into a quadrant, or use the Move menu on each task. New to the matrix?
Q1 Do first 0 tasks
Urgent and important
Deadlines, crises, problems that only you can fix.
Q2 Schedule 0 tasks
Important, not urgent
Planning, learning, health, relationships. Put a date on it.
Q3 Delegate 0 tasks
Urgent, not important
Interruptions, some emails and meetings. Hand off or batch.
Q4 Eliminate 0 tasks
Neither urgent nor important
Busywork and time-wasters. Drop them.
Eisenhower Matrix · focuscommit.com/eisenhower-matrix ·
Sorted? Get the important work done
FocusCommit keeps your tasks, a Kanban board and the GTD workflow in sync on iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows, with a Pomodoro timer for every task. It has no matrix view, but you can label tasks Q1 to Q4 with a tag or a short prefix and move Q1 to Next Action. The free plan covers up to 3 tasks.
Get the FocusCommit app Open the Pomodoro timer
Staying in the browser? Press Focus on the first task in Do first and give it 25 minutes without switching. How to run the matrix in FocusCommit.
How to use the Eisenhower Matrix
- Write everything down. Add every task on your mind to To sort, without judging it yet.
- Ask two questions per task. Is it urgent (does it need attention now, with a real consequence if it waits)? Is it important (does it move your goals forward)? Sort with 2 questions walks you through them.
- Act by quadrant. Do Q1 now, put Q2 in your calendar, hand off or batch Q3, and eliminate Q4. Drag tasks, or use Move → Move up, to put the most pressing one first.
- Review it. Re-sort once a day or once a week. Tasks you schedule well in Q2 stop turning into Q1 emergencies.
What the four quadrants mean
- Q1 · Do first (urgent and important): Deadlines, crises, problems that only you can fix.
- Q2 · Schedule (important, not urgent): Planning, learning, health, relationships. Put a date on it.
- Q3 · Delegate (urgent, not important): Interruptions, some emails and meetings. Hand off or batch.
- Q4 · Eliminate (neither urgent nor important): Busywork and time-wasters. Drop them.
More examples for each quadrant: the time management quadrants explained and an Eisenhower Matrix template you can copy.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Eisenhower Matrix?
A way to prioritize tasks by two questions: is it urgent, and is it important? The answers put each task in one of four quadrants: do first, schedule, delegate or eliminate. It is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower and was popularized by Stephen Covey as the time management matrix in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
What is the difference between urgent and important?
Urgent tasks demand attention now, often because someone else is waiting or a deadline is close. Important tasks contribute to your goals and responsibilities. Many urgent tasks are not important, and the most valuable work (planning, learning, health) is rarely urgent, which is why it ends up in quadrant 2.
Where are my tasks saved?
In this browser, on this device only. Nothing is sent to a server and there is no account. Clearing your browser data removes the list, so use Copy as text or Print or save as PDF to keep a copy.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. On a phone the quadrants stack one under the other. Move a task with its Move button, or use Sort with 2 questions to file your whole list. You can also paste a list from your notes: each line becomes a task.
What should I do with tasks in quadrant 4?
Usually nothing: drop them. If something keeps landing there but you still want to do it, it may be more important than you thought. Move it to quadrant 2 and give it a time.