How to use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritise consultancy work

23 September 2025

For consultancies, time is the scarcest resource.

Between managing client projects, staying compliant, and chasing new business, it is easy to become reactive rather than strategic. The Eisenhower Matrix provides a clear, structured way to prioritise, so you can focus on the work that matters most.

Although the concept has been around for decades, it remains just as relevant today, especially for small and growing businesses.

At Blue Wren, we use the Eisenhower Matrix almost every day to manage our workload effectively, and we see the same principles working for many of our customers.

A short history of the Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States and a five-star general during World War II. Eisenhower was known for his remarkable productivity and decision-making ability. He famously said:

“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”

This insight became the foundation of the matrix: a simple framework for distinguishing between urgent tasks that demand immediate attention and important tasks that create long-term value.

Step 1: Understand the Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix is a simple but powerful framework for prioritising work.  By separating tasks into four quadrants of urgency and importance, it becomes much easier to see where your time and energy should be directed.

Urgent and important activities demand immediate attention, while important but not urgent tasks can be scheduled for future progress.

Items that are urgent but not important are best delegated or automated, and anything neither urgent nor important should be eliminated altogether.

This clarity helps consultants distinguish between tasks that drive long-term value and those that simply distract from meaningful work.

Step 2: Map Your Typical Consultancy Tasks

Once the structure of the matrix is clear, the next step is to map real consultancy activities against each quadrant. This makes the framework practical rather than theoretical.

For example, urgent and important work might include preparing for an imminent client report or responding to a safety incident, while important but not urgent tasks often involve strategic improvements such as training, service development, or system upgrades.

On the other hand, activities like formatting data at the last minute or sitting in low-value meetings fall into the urgent but not important category, meaning they can be delegated or automated.

Finally, tasks like producing outdated reports or repeating manual admin are neither urgent nor important and can often be eliminated. By mapping your own activities in this way, the matrix becomes a personalised decision-making tool for reducing wasted effort and focusing on what matters most.

Step 3: Apply it to your daily workflow

1. List your current tasks – everything on your desk or to-do list
2. Place each task in the matrix and be honest about urgency and importance
3. Decide action by quadrant:
   • Do now: Prioritise immediately
   • Schedule: Block time in advance
   • Delegate or automate: Move it off your plate
   • Eliminate: Stop doing it
4. Review regularly and repeat weekly or monthly to stay focused.

This process creates a discipline of separating genuine priorities from distractions.

Step 4: Combine the matrix with better systems

The Eisenhower Matrix works best when supported by the right tools. Many consultancies still rely on spreadsheets or disconnected systems, which means urgent tasks are hidden until they become emergencies.

Flight, our configurable software platform, helps put the matrix into practice:

• Urgent issues are surfaced with automated alerts
• Important but not urgent work (like compliance deadlines or project reviews) is scheduled with reminders
• Routine admin is automated, reducing “urgent but not important” activity
• Low-value duplication across spreadsheets or systems is eliminated altogether

This frees consultancy teams to spend more time on high-value, billable work while maintaining compliance and client satisfaction.

Step 5: Build a culture of prioritisation

The matrix is not just an individual tool; it can be embedded across a consultancy.

When new tasks come into the consultancy, they are first filtered through the Eisenhower Matrix to quickly determine their importance and urgency.

This categorisation makes it clear whether the task should be completed immediately, scheduled for later, delegated or automated, or eliminated altogether.

By applying this structured decision-making process, consultants avoid wasting energy on low-value activities and ensure that essential work is prioritised. The result is a significant reduction in administrative burden and more time freed up for billable, client-focused work.

Summary

The Eisenhower Matrix has stood the test of time because it is simple, flexible, and effective. For small businesses and consultancies, it remains one of the best ways to manage limited resources and avoid being consumed by urgent distractions.

By adopting the matrix systematically, and supporting it with the right technology, consultancies can reduce fire-fighting, increase efficiency, and focus on the work that really matters.

If you are spending too much time on admin and too little on billable activity, the combination of the Eisenhower Matrix and a tailored software solution such as Flight can transform the way you operate.

 

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