How to use the eisenhower matrix maker
- Type one task per line into each of the four boxes: Do first, Schedule, Delegate and Eliminate. If you are not sure yet, put everything in any box and sort it next.
- Use the buttons under each task in the list to move it to another quadrant. The text boxes and the matrix update straight away.
- Choose landscape or portrait, number the tasks if you like, and keep the blank writing lines if you want room to add tasks by hand.
- Tick Remember my entries in this browser to keep your tasks for next time. Nothing is uploaded, and unticking the box deletes the saved copy.
- Press Download PDF or Print to get the matrix on one US Letter page.
What the four boxes mean
The Eisenhower matrix sorts tasks by two questions. Is it urgent, meaning it needs attention soon and has a consequence if it slips? Is it important, meaning it moves you toward a goal or protects something you care about? The method is named after U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who is credited with separating urgent from important, and the four-box version became widely known through the time management matrix in Stephen Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Do first (urgent and important) holds crises and deadlines. Schedule (important, not urgent) holds the work that builds your future, such as planning, learning, exercise and relationships; put a date on each one or it will keep losing to urgent work. Delegate (urgent, not important) holds interruptions and requests that someone else can handle. Eliminate (neither) holds habits and chores you can drop.
How to sort honestly
Most people put too much in Do first. A test that helps: if you did nothing for a week, would a real consequence follow? If not, the task is probably not urgent. Ask the same about importance: would you still care about this in a year? Tasks that fail both questions belong in Eliminate, even if they feel busy.
Aim to have Schedule as the biggest box over time. A healthy matrix has a short Do first list, a long Schedule list with dates, and little in Delegate and Eliminate. If your Do first box is always full, look at why tasks reach urgent before you touch them.
How the printout is laid out
The page is one US Letter sheet with Urgent and Not urgent across the top and Important and Not important down the side, so Do first is top left. Tasks wrap inside their box and the text shrinks from 11 point down to 7.5 point when a box is crowded. If tasks still do not fit, the box shows how many are left off, and the same note appears under the preview so nothing disappears silently. Each box holds up to 40 tasks.
Everything is drawn in your browser. Saved tasks, if you choose to save them, live only in this browser's local storage and are not sent anywhere. Clearing the browser data or using a private window removes them.
Assumptions and limits
- Urgent and important are your own judgments. The tool sorts what you type and does not decide priorities for you.
- Saved tasks use the browser's local storage on this device only. They do not sync to other devices and can be lost if you clear site data.
- Each quadrant is limited to 40 tasks, and tasks that cannot fit on the printed page at the smallest text size are listed as left off.
- The matrix is a thinking aid, not a project plan. It has no due dates, reminders or recurring tasks.
- Only characters the built-in print font can draw appear on the PDF. Emoji and non-Latin scripts print as a question mark.
Frequently asked questions
What is an Eisenhower matrix?
It is a four-box grid that sorts tasks by urgency and importance into do first, schedule, delegate and eliminate. It helps you stop treating every deadline as equally critical.
What is the difference between urgent and important?
Urgent tasks demand attention now and carry a quick consequence. Important tasks serve your goals or values and may have no deadline at all. Many urgent items are not important, such as routine messages.
How do I move a task to another box?
Use the small buttons under the task in the list below the options, such as Delegate or Schedule. The task leaves its old box, lands at the end of the new one and the printout updates.
Will my tasks still be here tomorrow?
Only if you tick the remember box. Then the tasks stay in this browser on this device. They are never uploaded, so they will not appear on your phone or another computer.
Why does a task say it was left off the printout?
A box can hold only so much text on one page. The tool shrinks the type first, then drops the lowest tasks and tells you how many. Shorten the wording or move tasks to another box.
Can I use this with a weekly plan?
Yes. Move the Schedule items onto days of your week with the weekly schedule maker or work through them in focused blocks with the pomodoro timer.