Eisenhower Matrix
Sort tasks by urgency and importance on a one-screen 2×2 board — saved in your browser, no account needed.
One task per line.
How to use
- Type a task into the Inbox and press Enter. Drag it into a quadrant on desktop, or tap it and choose a quadrant on mobile.
- Click/tap a card to edit its title, add a note, or move it. The checkbox marks it done; ✕ deletes it.
- Your board is saved in this browser automatically. Use Undo (Ctrl+Z), load the sample to explore, and export as JPG, offline HTML or print.
Examples
A realistic Tuesday
“Fix production bug” goes to Do (urgent + important). “Plan Q4 roadmap” goes to Plan. “Answer vendor email” goes to Delegate. “Reorganize desktop icons” goes to Drop.
Clearing a backlog that has stopped moving
A list that only grows is usually a list where everything looks equally required. Sorting each item by urgency and importance separates the few things that actually change an outcome from the many that merely arrived recently. What makes the method work is the act of placing an item somewhere, not the grid itself.
Deciding what to drop this week
The quadrant that matters most is the one people skip: not urgent and not important. Naming those items explicitly is what gives permission to drop them, and a plan that never drops anything is a plan that runs out of time.
Separating urgency from noise
Most requests arrive dressed as urgent because urgency is how people ask for attention. Placing a request on the grid forces the question of whether the deadline is real, which is often the first time anyone has asked it.
FAQ
What is the Eisenhower matrix?
A prioritization method attributed to President Eisenhower: split tasks by two questions — is it urgent? is it important? — into four quadrants: do now, plan, delegate, and drop.
How do I decide urgent vs. important?
Urgent means it demands attention now (deadlines, incidents). Important means it contributes to your long-term goals. The insight of the matrix is that many urgent things are not actually important.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes — the 2×2 grid is kept even on small screens, so all four quadrants stay visible on one screen at once. When a quadrant fills up it scrolls internally instead of stretching the page. Tap a card to edit it or move it between quadrants.
Where are my tasks stored?
Only in this browser’s localStorage on your device. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no account. Clearing the browser data for this site deletes the board — use the offline HTML export as a backup.
Can I export or back up the board?
Three ways: save a JPG snapshot of the board, download a standalone offline HTML file that contains your cards and works without internet, or print the board. The offline file restores your cards when opened.
What if everything feels both urgent and important?
That usually means the items are too large. A task described as launch the product cannot be placed, while write the pricing page can. Break items down until placing them is easy, and the split appears on its own — the difficulty of sorting is a signal about the items, not about the method.
How often should I redo the board?
Weekly is enough for most people, because urgency changes on roughly that cycle while importance rarely moves week to week. Re-sorting daily turns the tool into another form of busywork, which is the opposite of what it is for.
What do I do with the not-urgent-but-important quadrant?
Schedule it, or it will never happen. That quadrant holds the work with the largest long-term payoff and no deadline pressure, which means it loses every contest against anything with a date attached. Giving those items a specific time is the only reliable way they get done.