Eisenhower Matrix
Urgent or important? Take control of your time and priorities
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Eisenhower Matrix is a time management framework that helps you prioritize tasks by evaluating two dimensions: urgency and importance. It divides your work into four categories: Do (urgent and important), Schedule (important but not urgent), Delegate (urgent but less important), and Delete (neither urgent nor important). By listing tasks, scoring them for urgency and importance, plotting them into these quadrants, and building an action plan, you can reduce reactivity, focus on high-value work, and make more intentional use of your time.
In our recent article on the 2x2 Matrix, we explored how plotting two variables can uncover meaningful insights. We later applied that thinking to business portfolios in the BCG Matrix. Today, we’re shifting from company strategy to personal strategy with one of the simplest and most useful 2x2 frameworks: the Eisenhower Matrix.
Named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States, the matrix is based on his famous principle:
“What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.”
Eisenhower used this mindset to manage competing demands as a five-star general and later as president. The framework that bears his name remains one of the most effective ways to prioritize when everything feels like it matters.
What is the Eisenhower Matrix?
