Eisenhower Matrix Template Free Task Priority Matrix FigJam

You can use various time management tips to help you accomplish the tasks in this quadrant. Some helpful strategies may include the Pareto principle or the Pomodoro method. A timeline displays a chronological order of important dates, and scheduled events.

An Eisenhower Matrix template is a reusable guide that lets you quickly create an Eisenhower Matrix whenever you need to prioritize your task list. If you want to create a matrix every morning or at the start of each week, no problem—just copy the template, add your tasks, and start prioritizing. Having a pre-built template means you don’t have to waste time setting up your Eisenhower Matrix over and over again. Instead, you can just fill in the blanks and follow a predefined workflow to prioritize each task. And the effect is even more prominent in people who describe themselves as “busy”. The same researchers found that self-described busy people were more likely to select urgent tasks with lower payouts because they were already fixated on task duration.

The Eisenhower Matrix

Our template guides you through project management best practices for marketing teams so you can get from strategy to tactics to results. Take the guesswork out of task prioritization by creating a prioritization matrix template. You can use it every day, every week, or whenever your to-do list feels out of control. For additional resources, see this comprehensive collection of free priority matrix and project prioritization templates. Treating them all as if they do can leave you feeling overwhelmed and unproductive. This Eisenhower Matrix template lets you break tasks down so you can prioritize them correctly.

These quadrants aren’t just fancy names; they’re a roadmap for prioritizing tasks. What’s in quadrant one needs your immediate attention, while quadrant four might as well be your “later or maybe never” list. Covey cautions that spending too much time on Quadrant 1 tasks can lead to increased stress, burn out, and the sense that your days are out of your control. Spending all day putting out fires will quickly rob you of energy and passion for your work, and may make it easier to settle into mindless escapism found in Quadrant 4.

Benefits of Using the Eisenhower Matrix

Another way to limit the number of items on your Eisenhower Matrix is to create separate matrices for your personal and professional to-do lists. Even if you have a lot of tasks on your to-do list, try to limit your tasks to 10 items per quadrant. This will keep your Eisenhower Matrix from becoming cluttered and overwhelming. Once you know how to distinguish between urgent and important tasks, you can begin separating your tasks into the four quadrants of the Eisenhower Matrix.

Most tasks will likely fall in the second quadrant, Schedule it, because they require planning. The fourth quadrant, Delete it, should only contain tasks that are counterproductive and don’t support your goals. When something is urgent, it must be done now, and there are clear consequences if you don’t complete these tasks within a certain timeline. These are tasks you can’t avoid, and the longer you delay these tasks, the more stress you’ll likely experience, which can lead to burnout.

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The key is that these activities were a balance for the many stressful aspects of being a political leader. However, if you’re not intentional about it, the way you spend your downtime can actually drain your energy, passion, and creativity. By attending to Q2 consistently, you decrease the number of pressing problems that pop up in Q1.

• Team decision-making can be hard—a RACI matrix template makes it easier.
• Prioritize your tasks into four quadrants with this Eisenhower Matrix template.
• This means that as time goes on, urgency and importance may change, resulting in the need to recategorize some items.
• The editable quadrants allow you to customize tasks based on their urgency and importance.
• These unimportant, non-urgent distractions are simply getting in the way of you accomplishing your goals.

Imagine having a personal assistant that helps you focus on what really matters. By being your own time management guru, you can achieve more with less stress. According to Stephen Covey, quadrant 2 is the “Quadrant of Quality” where time spent engaging these tasks increases your overall effectiveness. This is where personal and professional growth meets planning, prevention, and action.

Build your Eisenhower Matrix with task management tools

What is important is subjective and depends on your own values and personal goals. The beauty of the Eisenhower matrix is that it forces you to create a hierarchy for urgent tasks and more low importance ones. These tasks are just as important as the tasks in quadrant I, but are not as urgent.

Most often, these are either things that were sprung on you from an external source or things that you put off until faced with a looming deadline. Weigh your tasks against each other, rearrange them, then get to work. For more templates that simplify your day-to-day, see what the Community has been up to. In fact, 60% of our time at work is spent on work about work—things like sharing status approvals or following up on information. This will speed up the prioritization process, and you’ll likely go through a second round of elimination on the back end.

What is an Eisenhower Matrix Template?

Focus on Q3 tasks may make you feel like you are not living up your larger life goals or don’t have control over your day-to-day life. Don’t forget, you can move items from one quadrant to another as you need to; they do not have to be permanently placed. This means that as time goes on, urgency and importance may change, resulting in the need to recategorize some items. As you are determining which quadrants to place tasks, think back to what you determined your urgency timeline to be and what goals you are trying to accomplish. Eventually in the future some of your tasks may become urgent and important. You can always re-evaluate tomorrow to determine what tasks will be urgent and important then.

Living in Q2 means that you can create a plan to complete projects and avoid possible problems. For example, if you keep putting off completing routine car maintenance, what are the 2 axes in the eisenhower box you may pay for it later when your car stalls out. These items typically have visible deadlines and consequences for stalling on taking action.

The matrix is divided into a 2×2 grid, with each quadrant representing a different level of urgency and importance. An Eisenhower Matrix template is a four-quadrant matrix that sorts tasks by urgency and importance. Project managers and other team members can use this task management tool to determine which tasks to address immediately, schedule, delegate, or delete.