Eisenhower matrix maker
Too many things. Sort them into four boxes.
Add everything on your mind. Say whether each task is urgent, important, both or neither, and it drops into the right box. Then let the tool pick one thing to start on, with a two minute timer.
Urgent means it has a deadline soon. Important means it matters to your goals or people, whenever it is due. Tap a task to select it, then tap another box to move it, or drag it.
Two minutes. Just begin. You are allowed to stop when the timer ends.
Nothing you type is saved or sent. Close the tab and it is gone, so copy or download first if you want to keep it.
Free tool from Focus and Screen Time
How the Eisenhower matrix works
Every task gets two questions. Is it urgent: does it need doing soon? Is it important: does it matter to what you are trying to achieve? The answers put it in one of four boxes, and each box has its own rule.
| Box | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Urgent and important | Real deadlines with real consequences | Do these first, today |
| Important, not urgent | Health, relationships, skills, planning, the work that moves your life | Put them in the calendar before they become urgent |
| Urgent, not important | Interruptions, most email and messages, other people's priorities | Delegate, shorten or batch them |
| Neither | Habits, busywork and distractions | Drop them, or park them for a gap |
Where it comes from
The method is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, who is credited with the idea of separating the urgent from the important. Stephen Covey made it famous in the 1980s as a four box grid in his book on habits of effective people.
If everything lands in the first box
That usually means one of three things: the list is too long, the deadlines are not real, or "important" is covering for "someone is waiting for me". Ask what happens if it is done tomorrow instead of today. If the honest answer is "nothing much", it is not urgent.
Keep the first box small
Aim for no more than three or four things in the first box at a time. A box with twelve items in it is not a priority list, it is a worry list. When the first box is long, pick one task, start it for two minutes, and see what is left.
Starting is its own problem
Knowing what to do first does not always make it easy to begin, especially if starting is the hard part. That is why the tool offers a two minute start. Two minutes is short enough to feel harmless and long enough to get past the first step.
Questions people ask
What is the Eisenhower matrix?
It is a four box grid for sorting tasks by urgent and important. The boxes are do first (both), schedule (important only), delegate (urgent only) and drop (neither).
How do I decide if a task is urgent or important?
Urgent means it has a deadline soon or someone is waiting. Important means it matters to your goals, health, work or relationships. A task can be one, both or neither.
What goes in the schedule box?
Important tasks with no immediate deadline, such as planning, exercise, learning and time with people. Give each a date in your calendar.
Why is everything in my first box?
The list may be too long, or some deadlines are not real. Ask what happens if the task is done tomorrow. If nothing much, it is not urgent.
Picked one? Now start it.
Now: ADHD Task Starter is an iPhone app built for anyone who finds starting hard, including many people with ADHD. It shows one task at a time with an editable first step and a two-minute starter.
Get Now on the App StoreFree to use with no account: the one-task screen, two-minute starter, Brain Dump, daily plan, parking lot and focus timers are free. Now Pro is an optional upgrade that adds routines and full history. General productivity information, not medical advice.
Honest Little Apps publishes both Now and this page. This is a separate browser tool and does not sync with the app. App details checked November 10, 2026.
On a computer? Open it on your iPhone
