Everything you need to know about the Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix can be a real asset for businesses struggling to balance daily to-do list tasks. You stay productive and reduce burnout by prioritizing activities based on urgency and importance.

In this post, you’ll learn how and when to create your own Eisenhower Matrix (including a free downloadable template) to complete more high-impact tasks with fewer distractions.

What is the Eisenhower Matrix?

The Eisenhower Matrix is a time management tool that lets you focus on high-impact work that drives long-term success.

Author Stephen R. Covey developed the concept based on US President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s decision-making methods and popularized it in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. While Eisenhower never created or named the Matrix, his strategy of prioritizing tasks based on urgency and importance was the foundation of this powerful productivity framework.

By categorizing tasks into the matrix’s four quadrants, you can decide what to do immediately, schedule for later, assign to someone else (or an automated tool) or forget about:

1. Do urgent and important tasks

2. Schedule important tasks that aren’t urgent

3. Delegate urgent tasks that aren’t important

4. Delete tasks that aren’t important or urgent

Here’s what that prioritization looks like within the Eisenhower Matrix:

Say you’re a small business owner. Here are four tasks on your to-do list and how you could prioritize them:

• Urgent and important (do). A key client’s sales contract renewal is due today and needs last-minute adjustments before signing.

• Important but not urgent (schedule). Planning next quarter’s marketing activities to drive long-term business growth.

• Urgent and not important (delegate). Responding to routine customer inquiries that your assistant can handle.

• Not urgent and not important (delete). Checking LinkedIn notifications and engaging in casual discussions.

This task management method prevents wasted time. Instead, you focus on activities that drive sales revenue and long-term growth – delivering bigger payoffs.

Free Eisenhower Matrix template download

If you’re ready to take control of your time and boost productivity, start organizing your tasks into the four quadrants (do, schedule, delegate and delete).

Here’s a free downloadable Eisenhower Matrix template to prioritize your days more efficiently:

Pipedrive's Eisenhower Matrix

How to prioritize your to-do list into four quadrants

Create a to-do list and color-code tasks by priority and importance (e.g., red is urgent and important). Assigning each task to its corresponding quadrant creates your matrix.

Here’s how to decide which tasks fall under each category.

What are “urgent” tasks?

“Urgent” tasks create pressure and need immediate attention. For example, a bug prevents customers from logging into your software. If you don’t fix it, you risk losing business and damaging your reputation.

Here are three questions to identify urgent tasks:

• Does it have a strict deadline?

• Will delaying it cause significant problems?

• Is someone waiting for you to complete your task to proceed?

If every answer is yes, these tasks belong in the “Do” or “Delegate” quadrants. If a task is both urgent and important, handle it immediately. Consider delegating something to someone else or an automated tool if it’s urgent but not essential.

What are “important” tasks?

“Important” tasks directly impact your business, team or customers and contribute to long-term success. While some may be urgent, you can complete many important tasks later.

For example, training your sales team to overcome objections effectively is essential for revenue growth. However, it won’t deliver immediate results.

Here are the questions you should ask to identify important tasks:

• Does it align with business or sales objectives?

• Will it measurably impact growth, efficiency or success?

• Should only you (or a highly skilled team member) handle it?

If every answer is yes and the task is urgent, prioritize it. If it’s not urgent, schedule it to give it the attention it deserves later. If any answer is no, delegate or delete it.

What are “not urgent” tasks?

“Not urgent” tasks don’t require immediate action but can still contribute to long-term success. While you should favor more pressing matters, carve out time to handle these tasks soon.

For example, planning new social media marketing may be crucial for growth but doesn’t demand attention today.

Here are three questions to identify non-urgent tasks for the second quadrant:

• Does postponing this task have minimal immediate consequences?

• Will completing it later still allow you to achieve your long-term goals?

• Can you schedule it without disrupting critical priorities?

If every answer is yes, it’s a “not urgent” task. If important, schedule it to ensure it gets done. Block out time in your calendar to work on it before it becomes urgent.

Assign anything unurgent and unimportant to the “Delete” quadrant. If any of the answers are no, reconsider the task’s urgency and importance.

What are “not important” tasks?

“Not important” tasks may feel productive, though they don’t tend to contribute meaningfully to your goals. For example, you may spend 30 minutes tweaking a sales presentation slide’s design that doesn’t impact effectiveness.

Here’s what you should ask to identify unimportant tasks:

• Does this activity move the business forward?

• If I don’t do this, will it negatively affect my goals?

• Do I have to be the one to handle this task?

If every answer is no, consider whether you should complete this task at all. External pressures (e.g., emails, calls or last-minute requests) can often create a false sense of urgency.

For example, a customer may query a feature clearly outlined on your website. In this case, setting up time-saving automated responses can prevent future distractions.

If an unimportant task is urgent, delegate it. If it’s not urgent, consider putting it in the fourth quadrant and deleting it altogether.

Why use the Eisenhower Matrix over other time management tools?

The Eisenhower Matrix cuts through distractions by prioritizing tasks based on urgency and importance. Unlike other methods, it ensures you focus on high-impact work to meet both long- and short-term goals.

Research suggests that planning and prioritizing tasks (like you do with the Eisenhower Matrix) can also reduce cognitive overload.

In another study of people who use the matrix, 50% feel their work is under control daily, while the other half feel the same for four days of the week. This sense of control is crucial for staying productive while avoiding burnout.

Busy professionals often turn to time management strategies to cope with the demands of their roles. In fact, 91% of respondents in one poll believe better time management reduces stress at work.

Another report indicates time management may improve life satisfaction even more than job performance. Staying on top of your time and tasks can have a positive ripple effect across work and personal life.

If you’re curious about other task management tools, consider these five methods:

1. The Pomodoro technique. Breaking work into intervals (typically 25 minutes long) using a timer, followed by a short break.

2. Time blocking. Allocating specific blocks of time to different tasks to ensure focused work.

3. The ABCDE method. Prioritizing your task list by categorizing activities from A (most important) to E (least important).

4. Getting Things Done (GTD). Organizing all tasks and storing them as actionable items in one external source.

5. Kanban system. A visual project management tool that assigns each activity to a card that moves from column to column as it nears completion (e.g., Pipedrive’s customer relationship management (CRM) solution features a Kanban-style sales pipeline view).

While each of these methods has its strengths, the Eisenhower Matrix stands out for its urgency and importance prioritization. Use it to spend your energy on the tasks that genuinely drive long-term success.

3 Eisenhower Matrix examples to help visualize your own

When everything feels vital, it’s easy to get stuck in reactive mode instead of progressing on what matters most. Seeing an Eisenhower Matrix in action can help you apply the categories to your daily workflow.

Here are three fictional Eisenhower Matrix examples to help you create your own.

1. A small business owner’s Eisenhower Matrix

Balancing client work, operations and finances requires clear strategic planning for a small business owner.

Here’s how the Eisenhower Matrix can help those wearing multiple hats:

2. A sales leader’s Eisenhower Matrix

Closing deals and managing a team requires constant effort. A structured Eisenhower Matrix helps sales managers avoid getting bogged down in administrative work.

Here’s an example:

3. A business-to-business (B2B) startup’s Eisenhower Matrix

For a B2B startup, every business decision affects growth, funding and product development. Prioritizing the right tasks can be the difference between scaling successfully or getting stuck.

Here’s how one could apply the Eisenhower time management matrix:

Seeing these examples in action makes it easier to apply the Eisenhower Matrix to your tasks. Use this framework to streamline your workday, stay focused on what truly moves the needle and minimize distractions.

Eisenhower Matrix FAQs

Final thoughts

The Eisenhower Matrix is a powerful productivity tool for business owners, especially when paired with essential systems like customer relationship management.

Choosing CRM software with automation and task management features helps turn your priorities into action – delegating tasks by urgency and importance.

Try Pipedrive free for 14 days to give key deals the attention they need and stay focused on high-impact sales activities that drive revenue.