Could the Eisenhower Matrix be the key to unlocking chore efficiency in your home? Productivity experts swear by it to simplify to-do lists

Chores feel like a never-ending battle, with more tasks added to the list as soon as you think you are done. But how can you work out what needs your attention, and what is wasting your time?

To reclaim some of your free time, productivity experts suggest using a system called the Eisenhower Matrix – a time management tool that breaks tasks down into urgent, non-urgent, important, and non-important.

Here, they explain what the system is, how it works, and how you can use it to avoid cleaning when feeling overwhelmed.

What is the Eisenhower Matrix?

While it might sound like something from a science fiction movie, the Eisenhower Matrix is a very simple way to make your to-do list less overwhelming.

David Radin, productivity expert, author of ‘Time Management in the Age of AI’, and CEO of Confirmed explains, ‘The Eisenhower Matrix is a useful tool for almost any significant time management task, and household chores is among them.

'Since it gives you the ability to separate the chores into those that are most important (have the most impact) and those that are urgent (are time-sensitive), it makes sure that you get done what needs to get done in the timing that makes the most sense.'

It does this by allowing you to place your tasks into four buckets, which align on a diagram as quadrants:

• Urgent and Important – Do immediately
• Important but Not Urgent – Schedule for later
• Urgent but Not Important – Delegate if possible
• Neither Urgent nor Important – Eliminate or minimize

How to use the Eisenhower Matrix for chores

To hack your brain and make chores easier, you can use the Eisenhower Matrix to split up your chores, creating an achievable cleaning routine. How you use this time management tip for a smooth-running home will depend on your individual priorities, making it fully customizable to your routine and habits.

As an example for plotting out your chores, David shares, ‘For most household chores, there isn’t any urgency; rearranging furniture or doing laundry can wait, so they would likely be in the low quadrant for urgency – until you throw in a party or special occasion, in which the furniture must be ready to fit those one or two people comfortably into your living room or when you need that special outfit for an interview or gala.

'This pushes both activities into the urgent category. If you care greatly about your guests for that party, rearranging the furniture would be in quadrant one, which is both important and urgent; otherwise, quadrant three.

‘Similarly, a spill of coffee onto your white rug is a clear quadrant one to avoid staining, but a spill of a small amount of water might fall all the way into quadrant four because there are no repercussions of not doing it.’

Navi Hughes MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, psychotherapist, emotional intelligence coach, and founder of Empower Mental Health uses this strategy as part of her morning opening shift routine, sharing, ‘I always start by organizing my day based on the Eisenhower Matrix: I categorize urgent, non-urgent, important, and non-important.

'Scientifically speaking, your brain feels safer when it knows what to expect; if you fail to have a plan, it will resort to instinctual decisions that aren't healthy.’

The real secret to making this system work is delegating tasks, David adds. Motivating your family to clean and encouraging your family to declutter can help you tackle items lower down on the list. Alternatively, are there tasks you can call the pros in for?

He says, ‘The key to effective use of the Eisenhower Matrix is to have somebody to whom you can delegate your tasks, otherwise you only have use of three of the four quadrants.

‘For some tasks, can you ask your child to do them when they return from school; or can you wait for a repairman to fix your dishwasher? If your dishwasher leaks, you might have to handle at least part of it yourself to avoid a crisis (quadrant one – urgent/important), but if it’s not leaking, you might handwash your dishes while waiting a few days for the repairman (important/not-urgent). Notice that the latter allows you to both wait or delegate.’

Meet the experts

David Radin

As the Founder & CEO of Confirmed, David specializes in coaching professionals to optimize their time and leverage AI and other techniques to streamline workflows and improve focus.

Navi Hughes

Navi specializes in helping clients overcome overwhelm, anxiety, and relationship stress through medication management, therapy, and empowerment coaching.

FAQs

Does the Eisenhower Matrix actually work?

The Eisenhower Matrix, when used correctly, can help you re-evaluate what is important and what is not, teaching better self-awareness and analysis. Over time, this will help you stay on top of chores more easily, reducing stress, frustration, and overwhelm.

What are the negatives of the Eisenhower Matrix?

One of the main downsides of the Eisenhower Matrix is getting used to categorizing tasks and working out exactly which order they should go in. This will take trial and error, with regular practice making tasks easier to delegate and prioritize for a smoother running home. Just remember, there is no wrong way of using it: it's very unique to your priorities and what is most important to you at any given time.

If setting out a square of chores every morning is not for you, several other productivity options can help you tackle the tough chores, such as the ‘Today’s Top Three’ challenge, or the 30-Second Rule, both of which can help you create white space in your day to reduce chore stress.