Eisenhower Matrix Template

What the Eisenhower matrix is

Dwight D. Eisenhower separated work that was urgent from work that was important. Stephen Covey turned that distinction into the matrix people mean by the Eisenhower matrix: four quadrants, split by urgency across the top and importance down the side.

Urgent and important work goes in Do. You handle it now. Important work that is not urgent goes in Schedule. You pick a time, so it does not become a crisis later. Urgent work that is not important goes in Delegate. Someone else, or a shorter process, can carry it. Work that is neither urgent nor important goes in Eliminate. It can leave the list.

The matrix is a sorting tool, not a diary. A task lives in one quadrant. If you are unsure, ask two questions: does this matter to the outcome, and does it need to happen today? Those answers pick the box. Most people discover that almost everything on a busy list is urgent to someone, and only a few items are important to them.

How to use this Eisenhower matrix template

1. Name the matrix. Add a title and a date at the top of the board.
2. Add tasks. Type a task into the quadrant it belongs in, then press Add.
3. Sort the board. Drag a task by its handle, with a mouse or a finger, or choose another quadrant from its menu.
4. Act on the sort. Do the urgent important tasks, put Schedule on a calendar, hand off Delegate, and drop Eliminate.
5. Keep a copy. Download a PDF, Markdown, or a Notion CSV. The CSV also opens in Excel.

The draft is saved in this browser as you edit, using localStorage. Come back to the same address on the same device and the board is still there. Clear draft removes it. Another browser, or a private window, starts empty.

PDF, Markdown, and a Notion CSV

PDF (A4) and PDF (Letter) draw the four quadrants with the tasks you entered. Print either file, or use Print for the page on screen. If one quadrant runs past a page, the PDF continues and keeps the same boxes. Markdown is a heading per quadrant and a list of tasks, which is enough for a notes app.

Notion CSV is one row per task. The columns are Task, Quadrant, Urgent, Important, Matrix, and Date. In Notion, import the file as a database. Urgent and Important arrive as Yes or No, so you can turn them into checkboxes after import. Commas and quotes inside a task stay inside that cell.

An Excel sheet, a Notion template, or the board

An Eisenhower matrix Excel sheet is a grid of cells and a file on disk. A Notion template is a database someone else already designed. Both are useful once the sort is finished. Neither is a good place to drag a task from Do to Schedule on a phone. This page keeps the sort in the browser, then hands you the file. The CSV is the spreadsheet. The PDF is the sheet you can pin up. Nothing is uploaded while you decide.

Schedule is the quadrant that slips

Do gets attention because it is loud. Eliminate is easy to ignore. Schedule is the one that quietly becomes tomorrow's crisis. If a task is important and not urgent, give it a time before you close the board. A matrix that leaves Schedule as a wish list has not been used yet.