Eisenhower Matrix example for managers
Managers live in Quadrant 3: urgent requests that someone else could handle. Here is a realistic week, sorted, with notes on what to hand off and what to stop doing.
By The Eisenhower Matrix To Do App team · Updated
Urgent
Not urgent
Important
Do First(urgent and important)
- Fix the checkout outage affecting customers
- Approve payroll before the 3pm cutoff
- Prepare tomorrow’s update for leadership
Schedule(important, not urgent)
- 1:1s with each direct report
- Plan Q1 hiring and write the job description
- Write the team’s goals for next quarter
- Coach a senior engineer toward promotion
- Document the onboarding process
Not important
Delegate(urgent, not important)
- Compile the weekly metrics report → Team analyst
- Organize the team offsite logistics → Office coordinator
- Answer the vendor security questionnaire → Ops lead
- Review routine expense reports → Team lead
Eliminate(not urgent, not important)
- Weekly status meeting that repeats the written update
- Reading every CC’d email thread
- Polishing slides for an internal update
Why each task sits where it does
Do First (urgent and important)
- Fix the checkout outage affecting customers
- Customers cannot pay right now. Revenue and trust are at stake, and it needs a decision-maker today.
- Approve payroll before the 3pm cutoff
- People get paid late if this slips. Only you can approve it.
- Prepare tomorrow’s update for leadership
- High stakes, fixed time, and your team’s budget depends on it.
Schedule (important, not urgent)
- 1:1s with each direct report
- The highest-leverage hour in a manager’s week, and the first thing cancelled when things get busy.
- Plan Q1 hiring and write the job description
- Hiring takes months. Starting before the team is overloaded is the only way to stay ahead.
- Write the team’s goals for next quarter
- Clear goals prevent a dozen urgent questions later. Nobody will ask for this until it is late.
- Coach a senior engineer toward promotion
- Important for retention. It only happens if it is on the calendar.
- Document the onboarding process
- Saves hours with every new hire. Classic Quadrant 2: valuable, never urgent.
Delegate (urgent, not important)
- Compile the weekly metrics report → Team analyst
- Due every Friday, but the analyst owns the data and does it better.
- Organize the team offsite logistics → Office coordinator
- Time-sensitive bookings, but not a manager’s job. Give clear budget and dates.
- Answer the vendor security questionnaire → Ops lead
- The vendor is waiting, but operations has the answers.
- Review routine expense reports → Team lead
- Has a deadline, but low risk. A team lead can approve under a set limit.
Eliminate (not urgent, not important)
- Weekly status meeting that repeats the written update
- If the update is already written, the meeting adds an hour per person and no decisions.
- Reading every CC’d email thread
- Being copied is not a request. If it needs you, someone will ask directly.
- Polishing slides for an internal update
- Clear bullet points are enough. The extra hour changes nothing.
How this manager matrix was sorted
The most useful question for a manager is not “is this important?” but “is this important for me to do?” Payroll approval and a customer outage need your authority. The metrics report and offsite logistics need to get done, but not by you. That distinction is what fills Quadrant 3.
Three tips for managers
Delegate outcomes, not chores. “Own the Friday metrics report, and flag anything unusual” builds a capable team. “Copy these numbers into this sheet” keeps you as the bottleneck. Write the owner’s name on the task so the hand-off is visible.
Defend your 1:1s. When the week gets busy, 1:1s and planning are the first casualties, because they are never urgent. They are also where most future problems are spotted early. Put them in Schedule and keep them.
Audit your meetings in Eliminate. A recurring meeting without a decision is usually Quadrant 4 for everyone in the room. Replace it with a written update and see if anyone misses it.
A weekly routine for managers
On Monday morning, sort the week’s requests in the matrix. For every Delegate task, send the hand-off message straight away. Then block two Schedule slots on your calendar before your inbox does it for you. On Friday, check whether Do First was mostly real emergencies or mostly Schedule work that waited.
See also the full Eisenhower Matrix guide, or compare with the students and freelancers examples.
Frequently asked questions
What should managers delegate first?
Recurring tasks with clear inputs and outputs: reports, scheduling, routine approvals under a limit, and first drafts. Delegate the outcome and the deadline, not just the steps.
How do managers protect Quadrant 2 time?
Block it on the calendar before the week starts, keep 1:1s even in busy weeks, and treat cancelling Schedule time as a decision, not a default.
Can a team share one Eisenhower Matrix?
This app keeps each matrix in one browser, so it suits personal planning. For a team, share the matrix as text using Copy as text, or review each person’s matrix in 1:1s.