Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix (also known as the Urgent-Important Matrix) is a productivity framework that helps you prioritize tasks by categorizing them into four quadrants based on urgency and importance.

What is the Eisenhower Matrix?

Named after President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who said:

“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”

The matrix divides tasks into four quadrants:

Q1: Do First

Urgent & Important

Crisis, deadlines, problems. Handle these immediately.

Examples: Client emergency, deadline today, system outage

Q2: Schedule

Not Urgent & Important

Planning, improvement, relationships. Schedule time for these.

Examples: Strategic planning, exercise, learning, relationship building

Q3: Delegate

Urgent & Not Important

Interruptions, some meetings. Delegate if possible.

Examples: Some emails, some calls, others’ minor requests

Q4: Eliminate

Not Urgent & Not Important

Time wasters, busy work. Minimize or eliminate.

Examples: Excessive social media, some meetings, trivial tasks

Enabling the Matrix

1. Open Settings (⚙️)
2. Go to Features
3. Enable Eisenhower Matrix

Setting Up Your Database

The Matrix works best with these properties in your tasks database:

Option 1: Separate Properties

Add two checkbox properties:

• Urgent - Is this time-sensitive?
• Important - Does this contribute to goals?

Option 2: Single Property

Add a select property with options:

• Urgent & Important
• Important (Not Urgent)
• Urgent (Not Important)
• Neither

Option 3: Priority Mapping

Map your existing priority property:

• 🔴 High → Urgent & Important
• 🟠 Medium → Important
• 🟡 Low → Neither

Configure mapping in Settings → Features → Eisenhower Matrix.

Matrix View

Access the matrix view:

• Click Matrix icon in the view switcher
• Press M to toggle matrix view
• View → Eisenhower Matrix

Layout

┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┐
│  Q1: DO FIRST   │   Q2: SCHEDULE  │
│  Urgent &       │   Not Urgent &  │
│  Important      │   Important     │
├─────────────────┼─────────────────┤
│  Q3: DELEGATE   │   Q4: ELIMINATE │
│  Urgent &       │   Not Urgent &  │
│  Not Important  │   Not Important │
└─────────────────┴─────────────────┘

Quadrant Colors

• Q1: Red - Crisis mode
• Q2: Blue - Strategic focus
• Q3: Yellow - Consider delegating
• Q4: Gray - Low priority

Working with Quadrants

Assign Tasks to Quadrants

Drag & Drop

1. Open Matrix view
2. Drag task to target quadrant
3. Properties update automatically

Keyboard

1. Select a task
2. Press number 1-4 for quadrant
3. Or use U for urgent, I for important

Task Details

1. Open task details
2. Toggle Urgent/Important checkboxes
3. Or select quadrant from dropdown

Quadrant Guidelines

Q1: Do First

These are your fires. Handle immediately, but also ask: why did this become urgent? Better Q2 habits reduce Q1 emergencies.

Q2: Schedule

This is where you want to spend most time. Important work done before it’s urgent = less stress, better results.

Q3: Delegate

If you can’t delegate, batch these tasks. Set specific times to handle interruptions instead of constantly reacting.

Q4: Eliminate

Be ruthless. These tasks feel productive but don’t contribute to your goals. Eliminate or minimize.

Matrix Workflow

Daily Review

1. Open Matrix view
2. Check Q1 for today’s must-dos
3. Schedule time for Q2 tasks
4. Batch or delegate Q3
5. Question if Q4 tasks are needed

Weekly Planning

1. Review what’s in each quadrant
2. Move completed tasks out
3. Add new tasks to appropriate quadrants
4. Ensure Q2 has scheduled time

Rebalancing

Healthy distribution looks like:

• Q1: Minimal (ideally less than 20%)
• Q2: Most of your time (40-60%)
• Q3: Limited (batch or delegate)
• Q4: Almost none

Smart Features

Auto-Classification

CueCapture can suggest quadrants based on:

• Due date proximity (→ Urgent)
• Project priority (→ Important)
• Task keywords
• Historical patterns

Enable in Settings → Eisenhower Matrix → Auto-classify

Due Date Rules

Configure automatic urgency:

• Due today → Urgent
• Due this week → Consider urgent
• Overdue → Urgent

Focus Mode

Press F + quadrant number to focus:

• F1 - Show only Q1 (Do First)
• F2 - Show only Q2 (Schedule)
• etc.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
M	Toggle Matrix view
1-4	Assign task to quadrant
U	Toggle Urgent
I	Toggle Important
F1-F4	Focus on quadrant
Shift + M	Matrix settings

Notion Integration

Property Sync

Changes in CueCapture sync to Notion:

• Urgent checkbox ↔ Notion property
• Important checkbox ↔ Notion property
• Or quadrant select ↔ Notion property

Matrix View in Notion

Create a complementary Notion board:

1. Add a “Quadrant” select property
2. Create Board view grouped by Quadrant
3. Both tools show same categorization

Formula for Quadrant

In Notion, auto-calculate quadrant:

if(
  prop("Urgent") and prop("Important"), "Q1: Do First",
  if(prop("Important"), "Q2: Schedule",
    if(prop("Urgent"), "Q3: Delegate", "Q4: Eliminate")
  )
)

Tips

Focus on Q2

The goal isn’t just to categorize—it’s to spend more time in Q2. Important, non-urgent work prevents future Q1 crises.

Question Urgency

Ask: “Is this really urgent, or just feels urgent?” Many Q3 tasks masquerade as Q1.

Weekly Q4 Audit

Review Q4 tasks weekly. If they’ve sat there long, maybe delete them entirely.

Project Priorities

Set project-level importance, then inherit to tasks:

• Important project → all tasks lean toward Q1/Q2
• Low-priority project → tasks default toward Q3/Q4

Troubleshooting

Tasks Not Appearing in Matrix

• Check Urgent/Important properties are mapped
• Verify properties exist in Notion database
• Try manual sync

Quadrant Changes Not Syncing

• Check property mappings in settings
• Ensure database connection is active
• Look for sync errors

Matrix View Empty

• Verify Eisenhower Matrix feature is enabled
• Check filters aren’t hiding tasks
• Confirm at least one task has quadrant assigned

Next Steps

• Task Management - Basic task operations
• Projects - Organize by project
• Keyboard Shortcuts - All shortcuts