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    Eisenhower matrix

    艾森豪威尔矩阵

    Technique
    Also called
    Urgent–important matrix, Eisenhower decision matrix, Time management matrix

    The Eisenhower matrix is a time-management tool that sorts tasks on two axes, urgent or not and important or not, into four groups. It is named after a remark Eisenhower quoted in a 1954 speech; Stephen Covey’s time matrix in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People uses the same axes.[1][2]

    Select a cell for details. Covey calls Quadrant II, important but not urgent, the heart of effective personal management.
    Four boxes by urgency and importance, numbered as in Covey’s time matrix. Point at or tap parts of the figure for details
    Four boxes by urgency and importance, numbered as in Covey’s time matrix. Save as image (PNG)

    Key points

    • In a 1954 speech in Evanston, Illinois, Eisenhower quoted “a former college president”: problems are urgent or important, and “the urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.”[1]
    • In Covey’s version, urgency is about how soon something must be done, and importance is about whether it serves your mission, values, and high-priority goals.[2]
    • Covey argues for spending more time on what is important but not urgent, such as planning, creative thinking, learning, and renewal, and calls this Quadrant II the heart of effective personal management.[2][4]
    • Five experiments on the “mere urgency effect” found more people chose a lower-paying task over a better-paying one when it merely seemed about to expire, especially people who felt busy.[3]

    An example

    Ms. Wang’s Monday list has two items: replying to a coworker’s group message (urgent, not important) and drafting next week’s project plan (important, not urgent). After sorting them into the grid, she spends 10 minutes on the message and keeps the whole morning for the plan.

    Misreadings and limits

    The matrix is often presented as Eisenhower’s own method. The 1954 speech contains only the remark, and Eisenhower credited even that to an unnamed former college president.[1]

    Sources

    1. 1 Eisenhower, D. D. (1954). Address at the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Evanston, Illinois (August 19, 1954). The American Presidency Project (G. Peters & J. T. Woolley, Eds.). View source
    2. 2 FranklinCovey (n.d.). Habit 3: Put first things first. FranklinCovey. View source
    3. 3 Zhu, M., Yang, Y., & Hsee, C. K. (2018). The mere urgency effect. Journal of Consumer Research, 45(3), 673–690. doi:10.1093/jcr/ucy008
    4. 4 FranklinPlanner (2025). Intro to Habit 3 & the time matrix (pg. 168–177). FranklinPlanner blog. View source

    Last checked against sources: October 26, 2026