Guide
The Eisenhower matrix: sort your tasks by urgent and important
Not everything that is urgent is important, and the most important work is rarely urgent. The Eisenhower matrix, named after the American president who is said to have worked this way, helps you see the difference. You sort your tasks along two questions, and four boxes tell you what to do with each one.
The four boxes
- Do first: important and urgent. A deadline tomorrow, a problem a customer is waiting on. Do these today.
- Plan: important, not urgent. Learning, health, the project that moves you forward. This is where real progress happens, so give these tasks a day before they become urgent.
- Keep short: urgent, not important. Many emails, some meetings, small requests from others. Do them quickly, batch them, or hand them off.
- Let go: neither important nor urgent. Ask honestly whether these need doing at all. Letting a task go on purpose is a decision too.
How to decide what is important
Urgent is easy: it has a deadline or someone is waiting. Important is harder. A good test: does this task bring you closer to something you care about, at work or at home, in a month from now? If yes, it is important, even when nobody asks for it.
Be strict with the "do first" box. If more than a handful of tasks land there every day, you are probably planning too late. Move more work to "plan", and give it a day well before the deadline.
Using the matrix every week
- 1Write down everything that is on your mind, without sorting yet.
- 2Give each task a priority and, where there is one, a deadline.
- 3Look at the four boxes. Do first goes into today; plan gets a day this week or next.
- 4Shorten or hand off what is in "keep short", and clear out "let go".
- 5Repeat in your weekly review, so the matrix stays fresh.
The Eisenhower matrix in Plenzu
In Plenzu you do not have to drag tasks into boxes yourself. The Matrix page sorts your open tasks automatically: priority 1 and 2 count as important, and a deadline within a few days, or a planned day that has come, counts as urgent. Change a task’s priority or date and it moves to the right box.
From the matrix you can plan a task straight into a day, and the time bar tells you whether that day still fits. Tasks in "let go?" can be let go with one tap; they are kept, so nothing is lost.
Questions
Who invented the Eisenhower matrix?
It is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, who is quoted as saying that what is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important. The four-box matrix was popularised later, among others by Stephen Covey.
What goes in the "plan" box?
Important work without a deadline yet: improving something, learning, health, relationships, long-term projects. These tasks are easy to postpone, so give each one a day in your planner.
How often should I sort my tasks?
A quick look every morning and a proper sort once a week works well for most people. In Plenzu the matrix sorts itself from each task’s priority and dates.