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Eisenhower Matrix
Sort your tasks into Do, Schedule, Delegate and Delete with sticky notes. Free forever, no account required. Your tasks stay in this browser.
Do
Important and urgent: do it now.
Schedule
Important, not urgent: plan it.
Delegate
Urgent, not important: give it to someone.
Delete
Not important, not urgent: drop it.
Quick help: add a task, then drag it into one of the four boxes (on a phone: press and hold a note, then drag). Tick the square when it is finished. Click ⋮ on a note to edit it, change its colour, add a date in Schedule or a name in Delegate; Esc cancels. Keyboard: focus a note and press 1 Do, 2 Schedule, 3 Delegate, 4 Delete, 0 back to the list, Enter to edit, Space to tick, Delete to remove (you can undo).
What the Eisenhower Matrix does
The Eisenhower Matrix sorts tasks by two questions: is it urgent? and is it important? The answers give four boxes. The method is named after US President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This free online version uses sticky notes you drag into the boxes:
- Do: important and urgent. Do it now.
- Schedule: important but not urgent. Pick a time; you can write a day on the note.
- Delegate: urgent but not important for you. Give it to someone; you can write their name on the note.
- Delete: neither. Stop doing it.
Who it is for
- Anyone with more tasks than time: at work, at home or at school
- Managers and team leads who need to decide what to delegate
- Students who must choose what to study first before an exam
- Project managers who want a quick, visual priority check
How to use it
- Type each task in “Add a new task” and press Add, or click a quick example.
- For each note, ask the two questions and drag it into the right box. On a phone, press and hold the note first.
- In Schedule, click ⋮ and add a day. In Delegate, add a name.
- Start with the Do box. Tick tasks when they are finished.
- Drag notes to “Drag here to delete” to remove them; you can undo for 10 seconds.
What is saved, and where
Your tasks are saved only in this browser, on this device (browser local storage). They are not sent to PMCLEAR or to any other server, and PMCLEAR cannot see them. There is no cloud sync: a matrix on your laptop does not appear on your phone. The status next to the buttons always says whether the last change was saved. If your browser blocks storage (some private windows do), it says so, and you should use Export to keep a copy. Clearing your browser data deletes the matrix.
How Export and Import work
Export downloads your matrix as my-eisenhower-matrix.json, with every note, colour, tick, date and name. Use Import on another device to load it. Import checks the file first; if it is not a matrix exported from this tool, nothing changes. Before your current matrix is replaced you are asked to confirm, and you can undo it right after.
Practical examples
A busy workday
Do: “Fix the payment bug”. Schedule: “Write the quarterly plan – Thursday”. Delegate: “Book the meeting room → Sam”. Delete: “Re-sort old email folders”.
Exam week
Do: “Practice questions on earned value”. Schedule: “Full mock exam – Saturday”. Delegate: “Ask a friend to check my notes”. Delete: “Re-watch videos I already understand”.
Running a small business
Do: “Send the overdue invoice”. Schedule: “Update the website prices – next week”. Delegate: “Answer routine emails → assistant”. Delete: “Daily social media checks”.
Keyboard and accessibility
Every note can be reached with the Tab key. Press 1, 2, 3 or 4 to move the focused note into Do, Schedule, Delegate or Delete, 0 to move it back to the list, Enter to edit, Space to tick and Delete to remove. In the editor, Esc cancels all changes, including the colour.
Questions
Is the Eisenhower Matrix tool free?
Yes. It is free forever: no account, no trial, no payment and no card.
What is the difference between urgent and important?
Urgent means it needs attention soon, often because of a deadline or another person. Important means it moves your goals forward. A task can be one, both or neither.
What should go in “Delete”?
Tasks that are neither urgent nor important: things you do out of habit that do not help your goals. Moving them to Delete is a decision to stop; tick them or delete them when you are sure.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. The four boxes stack on small screens. Press and hold a note for a moment, then drag it into a box.