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Free Eisenhower Matrix template
Four boxes. One next step.
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The Eisenhower Matrix is a 2x2 grid that sorts tasks by two questions: is it urgent, and is it important? Urgent and important: do it now. Important but not urgent: schedule it. Urgent but not important: hand it off. Neither: drop it. What's left in the first box is your list for today.
Most matrix templates online are built for offices and teams. This one is for regular life: bills, laundry, the school form, the dentist call. Type your list, tap a box for each task, print it if you like paper.
Do now 0
Urgent + important
Nothing here yet.
Schedule 0
Important, not urgent
Nothing here yet.
Delegate 0
Urgent, not important
Nothing here yet.
Drop 0
Neither
Nothing here yet.
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How to fill in the four boxes
Take one task at a time and ask the two questions in order. Importance first: does this matter to your health, money, family, home or a goal you care about? Then urgency: does something bad happen if it waits past today or this week?
1. Do now (urgent and important)
Real deadlines with real consequences. A bill due tomorrow, a prescription running out, a form the school needs by Friday. Keep this box short. If it holds more than three or four things, some of them belong in Schedule.
2. Schedule (important, not urgent)
The things that make life easier later but never shout: booking the checkup, meal planning, sorting the closet that keeps jamming. Ignored long enough, they move to Do now. Give each one a day, not just a good intention.
3. Delegate (urgent, not important)
Things that need doing soon but not necessarily by you. At home, "delegate" can mean asking a partner or a kid, paying for a service, switching to autopay, or using a pickup order. If nobody else can do it, do it fast and imperfectly.
4. Drop (neither)
Things you feel you "should" do that would change nothing if you didn't. Reorganizing a drawer that works fine. Replying to a group chat that has moved on. Dropping a task is a decision you're allowed to make.
Example: a filled-in matrix for a normal week
A household list for one week, sorted:
| Box | Tasks | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Do now | Pay electric bill (due tomorrow); refill allergy prescription; sign field trip form | Do all three before lunch |
| Schedule | Book dentist cleaning; plan meals for next week; clear out the hall closet | Dentist call Monday 9am; meals on Sunday |
| Delegate | Pick up groceries; take out recycling; return library books | Pickup order; kids do recycling; partner drops books |
| Drop | Re-sort the spice rack; reply to an old group thread; make homemade invitations | Let them go (or buy the invitations) |
The Do now box ends up with three items, so today's list is three things long.
Common mistakes
- Everything goes in Do now. When it all feels urgent, ask: what actually happens if this waits until Thursday? If the answer is "nothing much," it is not urgent.
- Schedule becomes a graveyard. Putting a task in Schedule without a day is just postponing it. Pick a day, even a rough one.
- Confusing urgent with loud. A notification, a text or a pile in view feels urgent. That does not make it important.
- Feeling guilty about Drop. An empty Drop box usually means you kept tasks that do not deserve your time.
- Sorting for too long. The matrix is a five-minute filter, not a project. Sort, then start the first Do now task.
When not to use it
The matrix works best for a mixed list of 5 to 30 tasks. It is overkill for three errands; just do them. It also does not help much when every task is truly urgent, like on moving day or during a family emergency: there, simply go in order. And it cannot decide between two important goals for you. For that, see how to prioritize tasks.
If you have sorted everything and still cannot pick where to start, let chance decide: spin the task wheel on your Do now list.
Where the name comes from
The matrix is named after U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In a 1954 address in Evanston, Illinois, he quoted a former college president: "I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important." The four-box grid was built on that idea later, by productivity writers, rather than by Eisenhower himself.
Prefer paper?
Use the Print button above for a clean one-page copy of your matrix. For printable planners and worksheets made for everyday life, visit our Etsy shop.
FAQ
What is the Eisenhower Matrix template?
A 2x2 grid that sorts tasks by two questions: is it urgent, and is it important? The four boxes tell you what to do now, what to schedule, what to hand off, and what to drop.
Is there a free Eisenhower Matrix template for Excel?
Several sites offer free Excel versions, and you can build one in a minute: a 2x2 table with the four labels. If you just need to sort today's list, the free tool on this page works in your browser and prints.
Is Eisenhower Matrix good for ADHD?
Some people who struggle with prioritizing find a visual 2x2 easier than a long list, because it forces one decision per task. It is a planning tool, not a treatment. If it adds stress, keep it small: five tasks, one box at a time.
Is there a free Eisenhower Matrix app available?
Yes. Many to-do apps offer a matrix view or template, often inside a paid plan. The tool on this page is free, needs no account, and saves only on your device.
How can I create an Eisenhower Matrix online?
Type your tasks into the tool above, then tap Do now, Schedule, Delegate or Drop for each one. It saves in your browser and you can print the result.
Does Microsoft have an Eisenhower Matrix?
Microsoft's app marketplace lists third-party Eisenhower Matrix apps, for example for Teams. You can also draw the grid yourself as a 2x2 table in Excel or Word.