Eisenhower Matrix
The “Eisenhower Matrix” is a prioritisation filter for work based on urgency and importance. It helps schedule work and priorities by categorizing tasks into four quadrants:
- Urgent and Important - do these immediately, but work to generally reduce time spent on them by dealing better with the “Important but Not Urgent” category.
- Important but Not Urgent - schedule for later if there is urgent work, otherwise do now. Apply strategic thinking and initiatives to make a big impact and reduce work in other categories (e.g. prevent causes of crisis that pop up as urgent and important)
- Urgent but Not Important - delegate to capable team members or other teams, empower them to solve such problems on their own
- Neither Urgent nor Important - eliminate and reject from your workload. Potentially transfer to a different team if the tasks could be important to their stakeholders
The matrix itself was first presented by Steven Covey in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, under the name Time Management Matrix. It is also known by alternative names as the Eisenhower Matrix or Eisenhower Box.
The matrix is often wrongly attributed to Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States. Although Eisenhower didn’t define the matrix, it was inspired by his statement at the Address at the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches in 1954: “I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.” This statement is also often wrongly explained as Eisenhower’s personal approach to time management and prioritization. During the speech, Eisenhower actually attributed the statement to Dr. J. Roscoe Miller, President of the Northwestern University, where the event took place.
Learn more about the Eisenhower Matrix
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, ISBN 978-1982137274, by Stephen R. Covey
- Address at the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Evanston, Illinois by Dweit D. Eisenhower (1954)
Alternatives to the Eisenhower Matrix
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