The 2×2 matrix
Do, Schedule, Delegate, Eliminate — the four quadrants, and why placement is computed from your inputs instead of dragged by hand.
The matrix is the centrepiece of Eisenhower. Rows are importance (important on top), columns are urgency (urgent on the left), and every open task lands in exactly one of four quadrants.
The four quadrants
| Quadrant | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Do | Important and urgent | Do it now — this is your live work |
| Schedule | Important, not urgent | Plan a time; don't let it become urgent |
| Delegate | Urgent, not important | Hand it off if you can |
| Eliminate | Neither | Reconsider — is it worth doing at all? |
Each quadrant has its own colour and icon so you can read the board at a glance. The header shows a live count of how many tasks sit in it.
Placement is computed, not dragged
This is the key difference from a sticky-note matrix: you never drag a card into a quadrant. Position is derived from the task's scores every time the board loads:
- Its importance score decides the row (top vs bottom).
- Its urgency (from the due date) decides the column (left vs right).
Change a task's factors or due date and it moves on its own. That means the board always reflects your latest inputs — there's no stale hand-placement to maintain. See how priority is computed for the exact rules.
Reading a card
Every card shows, at a glance:
- The title (click it to edit).
- A due chip, colour-coded by urgency — red when overdue, amber when due soon, muted otherwise.
- A compact importance meter (five dots) and the effort estimate.
- A quick-win ★ when the task is a small, fast job.
- A blocked badge (and the card dims) when it's waiting on another task.
Matrix and List
The board has two views of the same prioritised data:
- Matrix — the 2×2, best for deciding what kind of work to pick up.
- List — a single priority-sorted list you can filter by quadrant, status, or blocked. Best for working straight down your priorities.
Only open tasks (to-do and in-progress) appear on the matrix; completed and cancelled tasks are kept in the List view.
Next: capturing a task.