Four clear quadrants
Do, Schedule, Defer, Drop. The names are deliberately direct because priority planning does not need a poetry phase.
Priority Matrix
Sort the important from the merely loud.
OnlyList includes a Matrix view for deciding what to do now, schedule, defer, or drop. It gives priority work a clear place without cluttering your everyday lists.
MatrixSort by important and urgent
All lists
DoUrgent · Important
Send contract updateToday · High priority
ScheduleImportant
Plan quarterly goalsNext week · Work
Book health checkPersonal
DeferUrgent
Confirm delivery windowTomorrow · Home
DropNeither
Old newsletter ideaSomeday
A priority view connected to the rest of your task system.
Matrix planning works best when it is not isolated. In OnlyList, the same task keeps its list, due date, reminder, notes, subtasks, attachments, and comments. Moving it between quadrants changes priority and urgency, not its whole identity.
Drag to reprioritize
Move a task from Schedule to Do when its deadline moves closer. Move something to Drop when it keeps asking for attention it has not earned.
Use it as a weekly review
Open the matrix once a week to check that your priorities still make sense. Deadlines change. So do plans. The matrix makes drift visible.
How OnlyList places tasks in quadrants.
- Do (urgent + important): tasks due today or tomorrow that are also starred, pinned, or set to high priority.
- Schedule (important, not urgent): tasks marked as high priority or starred but with no imminent deadline.
- Defer (urgent, not important): tasks due soon but not flagged as particularly important. Handle them, but do not let them crowd out the work that matters.
- Drop (neither): tasks with no due date and no importance flag. A good place to spot work that can be cancelled or deprioritised entirely.
Common questions
What is the Eisenhower Matrix?
The Eisenhower Matrix splits tasks into four quadrants based on urgency and importance. Do covers what needs to happen now. Schedule covers meaningful work that is not on fire. Defer covers time-sensitive but lower-stakes tasks. Drop covers things that do not need your attention, even if they keep clearing their throat.
How does OnlyList decide which quadrant a task goes in?
A task is important if it is starred, pinned, or set to priority 1 or 2. It is urgent if it is due today or tomorrow. OnlyList places it in the matching quadrant automatically, but you can always override by dragging a task somewhere else, which updates its priority and due date to match.
Can I drag tasks between quadrants?
Yes. Drag a task from Schedule to Do and it becomes high priority with a closer deadline. Drag it to Drop and it is marked low priority. The task itself (its notes, subtasks, reminders, and list) stays exactly as it was. Only the priority and due date fields change.
Does the matrix show tasks from all my lists?
By default all your active tasks appear in the matrix. Use the list filter to review priority for one project at a time, which is useful when you want to review specifically for Work without personal tasks getting in the way.
Is the matrix free to use?
Matrix view is a Premium feature. The free plan includes priority fields, starred tasks, and all task details: so you can still prioritize manually in list view. Premium adds the visual Matrix, Board, Calendar, Planner, device sync, sharing, and cloud backup.
Related OnlyList pages
Task manager app
Combine status, priority, notes, files, and five planning views in one calm task system.
Weekly task planner
Drag tasks into the days where they belong after the matrix tells you what matters.
Kanban task board
Move work through status columns once priority is decided.