Purpose
It separates true priorities from noise so it becomes clear what should be done now, scheduled, delegated, or dropped.
Decision Making
Eisenhower Matrix
Sorts tasks by urgency and importance and turns them into a simple action decision.
Which tasks deserve focus time today, which should be planned, which can be delegated, and which can be dropped?
LowWorkshop + async15-30 min
How it works
Each task is placed in one of four zones: urgent and important, important but not urgent, not important but urgent, and not important and not urgent. This produces an action: do, schedule, delegate, or drop.
Visual orientation
Method sketch for a quick mental model.
What deserves attention gets a place
The matrix separates real priority from time pressure and clarifies what gets done now, scheduled, handed off, or deliberately left.
not urgenturgentimportantnot important
Schedule
Important, not urgent · set a date.
Do
Important and urgent · focus now.
Delete
Neither important nor urgent · consciously leave it.
Delegate
Urgent, not important · hand it off.
Y-Achse · ImportanceX-Achse · Urgency
Flow
- 1Collect tasks
- 2Assess importance
- 3Assess urgency
- 4Assign to quadrants
- 5Plan actions
The runsheet guides execution with 4 phases, timeboxes, 5 pitfalls, and clear stop criteria.
Open runsheetIdeal for
- Personal planning
- Team triage
- Operational focus
Not good for
- Strategic portfolio decisions
- Roadmaps with strong dependencies
Deep dive
In detail
The Eisenhower Matrix starts with an unsorted task list. Each task is first checked for importance: Does it contribute to a meaningful goal, outcome, or risk reduction? Then urgency is checked: Does it need to happen now or is it only noisy? Important and urgent tasks are done immediately. Important but non-urgent tasks get a scheduled time. Urgent but less important tasks are delegated or capped. Unimportant and non-urgent tasks are dropped.
Facilitation
Collect tasks first, then evaluate without delay. Ask consistently: important for which goal? urgent by when? Ensure not everything is marked urgent just because it is loud. In the end each quadrant needs a defined action: do, schedule, delegate, or drop.
Output artifacts
Eisenhower MatrixAction ListDelegation Notes
Artifact templates
Eisenhower Matrix Working TemplateCompact working template for the Eisenhower Matrix with task sorting, quadrants, and next review.spreadsheet
Eisenhower Matrix Working TemplateCompact working template for the Eisenhower Matrix with task sorting, quadrants, and next review.
spreadsheeteisenhower-matrix-working-template.md
Compact working template for the Eisenhower Matrix with task sorting, quadrants, and next review.
Eisenhower Matrix Working Template
Goal
Sort tasks by importance and urgency so attention goes to the right work.
Context
When and for what do we use this method?
Input
Which data, observations, decisions, or materials are available?
Matrix
| Urgent | Not urgent | |
|---|---|---|
| Important | Do now | Schedule |
| Not important | Delegate | Eliminate |
Output artifacts
- Task list:
- Planned actions:
- Delegated items:
Open questions
- ...
Next step
Owner, date, and success signal.
When to choose differently
Short decision aid for existing alternatives.
MoSCoW
Statt Eisenhower Matrix, wenn ihr Anforderungen gemeinsam in Must, Should, Could und Won't schneiden wollt.
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