The simple matrix that changes everything

President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said: “What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.” Productivity experts turned this insight into a tool called the Eisenhower Matrix.

Picture a square divided into four boxes:

• Top left: urgent and important — do these immediately.

• Top right: important but not urgent — schedule them for later.

• Bottom left: urgent but not important — hand them off if you can.

• Bottom right: neither urgent nor important — remove them altogether.

Just seeing your tasks laid out this way changes how you think about them. Suddenly, the noise quiets down and the signal becomes clear.

Putting the Eisenhower Method into practice with Superlist

Superlist makes it easy to bring this method into your daily workflow:

• Inbox as your capture zone: Instead of deciding right away, drop everything into your Inbox. At the end of the day, review and sort.

• Sidebar as your matrix: Create four lists called Do Now, Plan, Delegate, and Eliminate. If you like, add emojis like ✅ 📅 🤝 🗑️ to make them instantly recognizable. Put them into their own section as well.

• Due dates for the urgent stuff: A task in Do Now should get a due date for today or tomorrow so it appears clearly in your Today view.

• Collaboration for delegation: Tasks in Delegate can be assigned to teammates, so progress continues without staying on your plate.

What you get is not just a to-do list but a clear system that mirrors how the Eisenhower Method is designed to work.

Why this matters today

We live in a world of constant notifications and demands on our time. The Eisenhower Method is powerful because it gives you permission to step back and ask: Is this really important? Or just urgent noise?

By combining the clarity of the Eisenhower Matrix with the flexibility of Superlist, you can stop running in circles and finally focus on the work that matters most.

So tonight, open your Superlist, set up your four lists, and tomorrow start your day with priorities that make sense.