Form
Structured entry in Notion, Markdown, or a task manager with all four quadrants, tasks per quadrant, scheduled calendar slots for Q2, delegate recipients and message text for Q3, plus a Q4 decline/archive list.
RunsheetDecision Making
Eisenhower Matrix
ComplexityLow
Time15-30 min
Participants1-6
FormatWorkshop + async
MaturityCanonical
01
Preparation
What needs to be ready before start
Materials
2x2 matrix on whiteboard, Notion page, or Miro with labeled quadrants (Do, Schedule, Delegate, Delete); stickies or table rows per task; pens; timer.
People / roles
One person (solo triage) or one team lead plus 1-5 participants for team triage; optional sparring partner for delegate decisions.
Pre-read
Complete task list from inbox, backlog, tickets, Slack DMs from the last 1-2 weeks; list of people who can be delegated to, with capacity status; daily calendar with available slots.
Time needed
15-30 min
Setup
Collect tasks as a list. Matrix with two axes: importance (contributes to goal/accountability?) vertically, urgency (deadline <72h?) horizontally. Label quadrants. Set timer for first phase.
02
Core question
The one question this method answers
Which tasks deserve focus time today, which should be planned, which can be delegated, and which can be dropped?
03
Flow
Marker: Minute
| Step | Duration | Action | Hint |
|---|---|---|---|
10-5 min | 5 min | Capture all tasks into a vertical list. One sticky or row per task. Granularity: at most 2 h of work per task. | Tasks like "Project X" are too large and should be split into 2-3 next actions. Otherwise everything ends up in "Urgent and important" and nothing improves. |
25-15 min | 10 min | Answer two questions silently for each task: does it measurably contribute to a goal or accountability (importance yes/no), and is there a deadline within the next 72 h (urgency yes/no). Place sticky in the matching quadrant. | If uncertain between important/not important: would a coach classify this as aligned to goals? If uncertain urgent/not urgent: would delaying by 72 h cause real damage? |
315-22 min | 7 min | Block Q2 (Important + Not urgent) in the calendar, at least 2 slots in the next 5 days. For Q3 (Not important + Urgent), identify recipient and send message today. | Q2 is the real lever. If Q2 is always pushed "later", people stay in Q1 and Q3. Book the slot immediately, not "whenever". |
422-30 min | 8 min | Delete (through strikeout), archive, or decline Q4 (Not important + Not urgent). Tackle Q1 (Important + Urgent) today in order of risk or effort. | Q4 is not "later," Q4 is a clear "no". Keeping Q4 in a parking list builds only guilt. Make a real decline, not silent delay. |
04
Artifact
What comes out at the end
Versioning / ownership
One entry per triage session with date. Keep as a weekly series instead of overwriting, to make recurring patterns (repeating Q3, creeping Q1) visible.
Tool alternatives
- Notion page with 2x2 table
- Todoist or Things with tag quadrants
- Miro board for team triage
- Handwritten matrix on A4 sheet
eisenhower-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.
05
Example output
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
eisenhower-matrix-beispiel.md
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Eisenhower triage — Sabine (solo tax advisor), 19.05.2026 Monday
Q1 (Important + Urgent) — do today:
- Client Schmidt VAT return (deadline 22.05.)
- Return call to tax inspector for client Meyer appointment
- Finalize payroll for May for 3 clients
Q2 (Important + Not urgent) — book slots:
- DATEV training "New interfaces" (slot: Wed 14:00-16:00)
- Document client onboarding process (slot: Fri 09:00-11:00)
- Draft 2027 fee agreement (slot: Tue next week 10:00-12:00)
Q3 (Not important + Urgent) — delegate:
- Replenish office supplies -> assistant (message today 11:00)
- Complete tax advisor chamber survey -> intern Anna
- Sort travel receipts -> assistant
Q4 (Drop) — decline or archive:
- LinkedIn networking with sales contacts (archive)
- Webinar "Trends in tax advisory" (decline sent)
- Evaluate new CRM (revisit Q3 after onboarding docs are documented)
06
Pitfalls
Recognize symptoms and steer against them
Trap
Everything in Q1
Symptom
70-90% of tasks end up in "Important and urgent" because everything feels important.
What to do
Apply stricter importance checks: link to concrete goals or accountabilities. If everything is important, goals are unclear or task list contains too many external commitments.
Trap
Q2 without calendar slot
Symptom
Q2 tasks are documented but no appointment is booked; tasks move from week to week.
What to do
Book Q2 in the triage session, not afterwards. If no slot is assigned in the next 5 days, accept that the task belongs in Q4.
Trap
Delegating without recipient
Symptom
Tasks marked as "delegate" have no recipient named or messaged.
What to do
In the session, write a concrete recipient and message for every Q3 task. If someone refuses to send it, keep the task in the own list.
Trap
Q4 as parking list
Symptom
Q4 grows into a someday list; each triage session rediscovers old Q4 entries, and guilt rises.
What to do
Q4 is archive or decline, not backlog. Remove or decline entries explicitly. If a Q4 task is later needed, it should be reintroduced deliberately.
Trap
Granularity too coarse
Symptom
Tasks like "Project Y" land in Q1 and block the entire quadrant.
What to do
Split tasks before triage: define next concrete action in at most 2 h of work. Triage works only with actionable items.
07
Stop criteria
Done signals checkable in under a minute
Goals or accountabilities are unclear, so importance cannot be decided.
Person does not have authority to delegate or decline, so Q3 and Q4 stay theoretical.
Task list is incomplete, making triage unreliable.
Triage repeats weekly but Q1 share does not decrease; the root issue is strategic (too many commitments), not tactical.
Tasks are primarily collaborative and need team prioritization instead of solo triage; a RICE or MoSCoW session is then more appropriate.
Person is in acute stress (burnout, medical), and the matrix cannot replace a load-reduction decision from outside.
Finished the runsheet?
Go to the profile for purpose, similar methods, and sources or continue to the next method in the catalog.