Eisenhower Matrix To Do App
No signup, no labels, no setup. Your tasks never leave your browser.
Do First
0 open tasksUrgent and important
Nothing urgent. Enjoy the calm.
Schedule
0 open tasksImportant, not urgent
Plan something that matters.
Delegate
0 open tasksUrgent, not important
Nothing to hand off.
Eliminate
0 open tasksNot urgent, not important
Nothing to cut. Nice.
What is the Eisenhower Matrix?
The Eisenhower Matrix is a simple way to decide what to work on. You sort every task by two questions, is it urgent? and is it important?, and place it in one of four boxes. Each box comes with an action: do it now, schedule it, delegate it, or drop it. People also call it the Eisenhower Box, the Eisenhower decision matrix or the urgent-important matrix.
The core idea is that urgent and important are not the same thing. Urgent tasks demand attention because of a deadline, a ping or someone waiting. Important tasks move your goals, health, work and relationships forward, but they rarely make noise. Without a system, the noisy tasks win every time.
How the Eisenhower Matrix works
Ask two questions about every task: is it urgent? and is it important? The answers place it in one of four quadrants, and each quadrant tells you what to do next.
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Urgent and important
Do First
Handle it today, before anything else.
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Important, not urgent
Schedule
Give it a time in your calendar. This is where progress happens.
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Urgent, not important
Delegate
Hand it off, automate it, or batch it into one short block.
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Not urgent, not important
Eliminate
Drop it. Deleting is progress too.
Read the full guide with examples, a daily routine and common mistakes.
How to use this Eisenhower Matrix app
This Eisenhower Matrix app is built to take seconds, not a setup session. There are no projects, labels or filters to configure. Here is the whole workflow:
- Type a task and press Enter. Press N at any time to jump back to the add box.
- Pick a quadrant. Click one, or press 1 for Do First, 2 for Schedule, 3 for Delegate and 4 for Eliminate.
- Not sure where it goes? Open the helper under the add box. It asks the two questions for you and places the task.
- Add a due date if it has one. Delegate tasks also get a field for who you handed them to.
- Work from the top left. Finish Do First, give Schedule tasks a slot in your calendar, hand off Delegate and clear out Eliminate.
- Keep it current. Tick tasks off when they are done, and drag a task to a new quadrant when its urgency changes.
Got a head full of tasks? Press B to open brain dump, type or paste everything on your mind, one task per line, then sort the list one task at a time with the number keys. Made a mistake? Ctrl or Cmd + Z undoes it.
An Eisenhower Matrix to-do list that stays private
A normal to-do list treats every item the same. Twenty lines, one after another, and the easiest ones get done first. An Eisenhower Matrix to-do list adds what a plain list is missing: priority you can see. At a glance you know what needs you today, what deserves a slot in your calendar, and what you can let go.
Many Eisenhower Matrix apps ask you to create an account before you can add a single task. This one does not. Your tasks are saved in your browser’s local storage on your device and are never sent to a server. There is no login and nothing to sell. Use More → Download backup to keep a copy, and Restore from backup to move your list to another browser. When you want your tasks somewhere else, Copy as text pastes them into any notes app, email or chat, grouped by quadrant.
Eisenhower Matrix time management: why it works
Most time management problems are not about working faster. They are about choosing. Researchers have a name for the trap: the mere-urgency effect. In a 2018 study in the Journal of Consumer Research, people picked tasks with short deadlines over tasks with bigger rewards, even when the deadline had nothing to do with the value. Simply looking urgent was enough.
The Eisenhower Matrix breaks that habit by putting a short pause between “this feels pressing” and “I will do it now.” Placing a task in a quadrant forces you to answer the importance question that urgency lets you skip.
Over time, the goal is to spend more of your week in Schedule, the important but not urgent quadrant. Planning, learning, exercise, deep work and time with people you care about all live there. Every hour spent in Schedule prevents a future emergency in Do First. The balance bar under the matrix shows how your open tasks are spread across the four quadrants, so you can see when your week is tipping into firefighting.
The matrix also pairs well with other habits: Eat the Frog to start the day with your hardest important task, time blocking to give Schedule tasks a real place in your calendar, and a weekly review to keep every task in the right quadrant.
Why this Eisenhower Matrix app is different
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No signup, no setup
The matrix is ready the moment the page loads. No labels, filters or onboarding. Just type and press Enter.
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Private by design
Tasks are stored in your browser and never sent to a server. Back up or delete everything any time.
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Fast from the keyboard
Press N to add, 1 to 4 to pick a quadrant, B for a brain dump. Drag tasks around, or use the Move to menu on touch screens.
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Helps you decide
Not sure where a task goes? Answer two questions. A balance bar and due-date nudges tell you when your week is tipping into firefighting.
Eisenhower Matrix examples
The fastest way to learn the matrix is to see it filled in. Here is how some everyday tasks sort:
- Do First: a report due tomorrow morning, an overdue bill, a client whose site is down.
- Schedule: exercise, planning next quarter, learning a new skill, a dentist check-up.
- Delegate: most meeting requests, routine email replies, booking travel, questions a colleague can answer.
- Eliminate: endless scrolling, reorganizing files that already work, meetings with no agenda.
For complete examples with the reasoning behind every task, see how a student, a manager and a freelancer sorted a real week. Each one loads into the app in one click, so you can swap the sample tasks for your own.
Free Eisenhower Matrix template and PDF
Prefer pen and paper? Print a blank Eisenhower Matrix template with urgent and important axes and ruled lines in every quadrant, or download it as a PDF in A4 or US Letter size. It is free, with no email required.
Many people keep a printed matrix on their desk for the day and use the online matrix to manage the list over the week. You can also print your filled-in matrix straight from the app with More → Print matrix.
Eisenhower Matrix FAQ
What is the Eisenhower Matrix?
The Eisenhower Matrix is a 2×2 grid for prioritizing tasks by urgency and importance. Every task goes into one of four quadrants: Do First (urgent and important), Schedule (important, not urgent), Delegate (urgent, not important) and Eliminate (neither). It is also called the Eisenhower Box or the urgent-important matrix. The full Eisenhower Matrix guide explains each quadrant with examples.
How does the Eisenhower Matrix work?
It separates two questions people usually blur together. Urgent means a task needs attention soon. Important means it moves your goals, work, health or relationships forward. Answering both places the task in one quadrant, and each quadrant has a fixed action: do it, schedule it, delegate it or drop it. A long list becomes four short decisions.
How do you use the Eisenhower Matrix?
List every task. For each one, ask: is it urgent, and is it important? Place it in the matching quadrant. Then do the Do First tasks today, give Schedule tasks a time in your calendar, hand off Delegate tasks and delete Eliminate tasks. Re-sort for a few minutes each day. The guide has a step-by-step 5-minute daily routine.
How do I create an Eisenhower Matrix?
The quickest way is the free online Eisenhower Matrix at the top of this page: type a task, press Enter and pick a quadrant, with no signup. On paper, draw a 2×2 grid, label the columns Urgent and Not urgent and the rows Important and Not important. Or print our Eisenhower Matrix template, also available as a PDF download.
What does the Eisenhower Matrix help you do?
It helps you decide what to do now, what to plan for later, what to hand off and what to stop doing. Most of all, it shows you when urgent but unimportant tasks are crowding out important work that has no deadline yet, such as planning, learning, health and time with people you care about.
What is the Eisenhower Matrix for time management?
In time management, the Eisenhower Matrix is a prioritization tool: it decides where your time goes before you start working. It stops noisy, low-value tasks from filling the day and protects time for the Schedule quadrant, the important but not urgent work that prevents tomorrow’s emergencies. It pairs well with time blocking and a weekly review.
What are some Eisenhower Matrix examples?
Do First: a report due tomorrow or a broken checkout page. Schedule: exercise, planning or learning a new skill. Delegate: routine emails, booking travel, most meeting requests. Eliminate: aimless scrolling or meetings with no agenda. See complete examples for students, managers and freelancers, or browse all Eisenhower Matrix examples.
Who created the Eisenhower Matrix?
The idea comes from US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In a 1954 speech he quoted a college president: “I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important.” Eisenhower never drew the grid himself. Stephen Covey turned the idea into the four-quadrant matrix in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989). Read more about where the Eisenhower Matrix comes from.
Why is it called the Eisenhower Matrix?
It is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States and Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe in World War II, because of his often-quoted line about urgent and important problems. Covey called his version the Time Management Matrix, but the Eisenhower name stuck.
Is the Eisenhower Matrix effective?
Yes, for daily prioritization. It counters the mere-urgency effect: a 2018 study in the Journal of Consumer Research found that people choose urgent-looking tasks over more valuable ones. The matrix makes you judge importance first. It works less well for fully reactive jobs or for ordering steps inside one large project. The guide covers when the Eisenhower Matrix is the wrong tool.
Questions about this app
Is this Eisenhower Matrix app really free?
Yes. There is no paid plan, no task limit and no ads. If it helps you, there is an optional tip jar in the footer.
Do I need an account?
No. The matrix works as soon as the page loads. There is nothing to sign up for.
Where are my tasks saved?
In your browser’s local storage, on your device. They are never sent to a server. Use More → Download backup to keep a copy, because browsers can clear site data. Read the privacy page for details.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. On small screens the quadrants stack in order. Drag tasks by their handle, or use the ⋯ menu on any task to move it to another quadrant.
How do I move a task to another quadrant?
Drag it, or open the ⋯ menu on the task and choose Move to. With the keyboard, Alt + Arrow keys move a task up or down within its quadrant.
What keyboard shortcuts are there?
N jumps to the add box, 1 to 4 pick a quadrant, Alt + 1 to 4 pick one while typing, B opens brain dump, Ctrl or Cmd + Z undoes, and ? lists them all.
Can I export or print my matrix?
Yes. Use More → Copy as text to paste your tasks into any to-do app, More → Download backup for a JSON file, or More → Print matrix for a one-page printout.
Is there a free Eisenhower Matrix template or PDF?
Yes. Download a blank Eisenhower Matrix PDF in A4 or US Letter size, or print the printable Eisenhower Matrix template. Both are free and need no email.