Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix separates urgent from important — and shows that most people spend too much time on tasks that are urgent but not important.

Dwight D. Eisenhower / Stephen Covey 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989)

What is the Eisenhower Matrix?

Dwight D. Eisenhower said: "What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important." Stephen Covey popularized this idea as a 2x2 matrix.

The 4 quadrants

UrgentNot urgent
Important Q1: Do now Q2: Schedule
Not important Q3: Delegate Q4: Eliminate

The key: Quadrant 2 (important but not urgent) is the quadrant of effectiveness — this is where strategic planning, relationship building, and personal development live. Most people spend too little time here.

Sort your tasks

Enter your tasks (one per line), then assign each of them.

Inspiriert von Dwight D. Eisenhower / Stephen Covey — Eisenhower Matrix

Applied to

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Trivia

  • Eisenhower wasn't only US president, he was also Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in WWII — prioritization was a matter of survival.
  • Stephen Covey popularized the matrix in "7 Habits" (1989) — the book sold over 40 million copies.
  • Covey's core thesis: most people spend too much time in Q1 (crises) and Q3 (distractions) instead of Q2 (strategic work).
  • The matrix is also known as the "urgent-important matrix" or "time management matrix".
  • Eisenhower himself didn't use a 2x2 matrix — he simply had the principle of separating urgent from important.