Eisenhower matrices to download (several formats)

4 Eisenhower matrix templates to download

All four templates use the same matrix: importance on one axis, urgency on the other, and one colour per quadrant. Dark green for important and urgent (do it now), light green for important but not urgent (schedule it), yellow for urgent but not important (delegate it), orange for neither (delete it). Only the medium changes.

The Eisenhower matrix in Excel

The most practical template for everyday use, because it is automated. You type each action into the action plan table, say whether it is important and whether it is urgent, and the action moves into the right quadrant by itself. The workbook has three sheets: help, matrix and preferences, where you can add your company logo to the header before printing. The labels in this workbook are in French (Urgent / Pas urgent, Important / Pas important, Oui / Non).

The Eisenhower matrix in Word

If you prepare your documents in Word, this template gives you a blank, ready-made matrix that you fill in and customise like any other document. It works well when the matrix needs to sit inside a memo, a meeting report or a project brief.

The Eisenhower matrix in PDF

The PDF is designed to be printed and filled in by hand. It is the simplest way to plan your day or week on paper, on the train or between two meetings, without opening a laptop. You can also fill it in with a PDF reader that supports annotations.

The Eisenhower matrix in PowerPoint

Presenting your priorities at a team meeting or a leadership committee? The PowerPoint template fits on a single slide, with a placeholder for your logo. There is no need to rebuild the matrix: fill it in and drop it into your presentation. The axis labels on this slide are in French and can be edited.

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Which format should you choose?

The right format depends on what you will do with the matrix once it is filled in.

Format	Most useful for	Strength	Limit
Excel	Sorting a task list that changes every week	Automatic placement in the quadrants, easy to update	A personal file, hard to share with a team
Word	Adding a matrix to a document	Free layout, easy to customise	Everything is placed by hand
PDF	Working on paper	Printable, usable anywhere	Has to be redone at every update
PowerPoint	Presenting priorities in a meeting	One slide, ready to use	Made to show, not to track

Many people combine two formats: Excel to sort tasks during the week, PowerPoint or PDF to share the result with the team.

How to use the templates

Whatever the format, the method is the same: list your tasks, ask two questions about each one (does it matter for my goals? does it need action now?), then place it in its quadrant. Our guide on how to use the Eisenhower matrix explains each quadrant and how to tell urgent from important.

In Excel

1. Open the matrix sheet.
2. In the action plan table, type each task in the action name column.
3. In the next two columns, answer yes or no (Oui / Non) for important and for urgent.
4. The action appears in the matching quadrant: dark green to do now, light green to schedule, yellow to delegate, orange to delete.
5. To print with your logo, follow the steps on the preferences sheet (custom header in the page layout).

In Word

Open the document: the matrix has four coloured areas, with the urgent and important axes. Write each task in its box and keep it short (a verb and an object are enough: "call back the supplier", "prepare the budget"). If a box overflows, it is usually a sign that too much is going into it.

In PDF

Print the matrix or open it in a PDF reader that allows annotations. Fill in the four quadrants with the same colour code as the other templates. Date the sheet: a paper matrix goes out of date quickly, and the date reminds you to redo it every week.

In PowerPoint

Open the file and fill in the slide, or copy it into your own presentation (right-click the thumbnail in the left-hand panel, Copy, then Paste into your file). Replace the logo placeholder with yours. For a presentation, keep to three or four tasks per quadrant: beyond that, the slide becomes hard to read.

Example: a completed matrix

Here, for illustration, is the matrix of a team manager on a Monday morning (a fictitious example).

Quadrant	Decision	Tasks
Important and urgent	Do it now	Answer a key customer's complaint; finalise the quote due tomorrow
Important, not urgent	Schedule it	Prepare a team member's annual review; review the order approval process; block an hour for the quarterly action plan
Urgent, not important	Delegate it	Book the room for Thursday's meeting; compile the weekly figures for reporting
Neither urgent nor important	Delete it	Proofread a presentation that is already approved; sort an inbox of information-only emails

The quadrant to watch is the second one: these tasks move the team forward, and they are the first to be postponed. Give each one a date and a slot in your calendar. For more ways to protect that time, see 9 easy tips to manage your priorities better.

Common mistakes when filling in the matrix

• Putting everything in "important and urgent". If this quadrant holds more than half of your tasks, you are mixing up urgency and importance. Go back over each task and ask what really happens if it waits two days.
• Not dating scheduled tasks. A task to schedule with no date stays at the bottom of the list until it becomes urgent.
• Delegating without naming an owner. Delegating means handing a task to a specific person, with a due date. Without that, the task comes back to you.
• Never deleting anything. The fourth quadrant is there to be emptied. Keeping those tasks "just in case" clutters the matrix.
• Filling in the matrix once and for all. Priorities move. Redo it every week, ideally at the same time.

Curious about where the distinction between urgent and important comes from? The history of the Eisenhower matrix tells the story. And the importance of prioritization in task management explains why it matters for a whole team.

When a file is no longer enough

A downloadable template works well for one person. In a team, the same questions come up for several people at once: who does what, by when, and where do the delegated tasks stand? An Excel file or a slide does not chase anyone, and every update creates a new version that has to be sent round again.

That is the point to move to a shared action management tool. In Perfony, every action carries a priority inspired by the Eisenhower matrix, an owner and a due date. Delegated tasks stay visible, progress is updated in meetings, and the team's priorities are tracked in one place.

In practiceManage tasks and priorities with PerfonyTurn your priorities into tracked actions: an owner, a due date, a progress status, and reminders that go out on their own. Integrated with Microsoft Teams, hosted in France.Discover action management