How to Use the Priority Matrix

The Priority Matrix plots tasks on a plane defined by two axes — urgency and importance — to help you identify what truly deserves your attention first. It reveals the work that is important but not urgent, the kind that gets pushed back indefinitely when you simply handle whatever is closest to its deadline. The tasks here are the same ones as in your Gantt chart and Kanban board.

Priority Matrix

1. Basic Operations

Add the view and place your tasks on the plane — that alone sorts out your priorities.

Adding a Priority Matrix

Click the 'List' button on the left sidebar, then press the '+' button next to 'Priority Matrix'. Enter a name to confirm, and a new tab appears at the top of the screen with the matrix open.

What the Four Quadrants Mean

Urgency increases toward the right on the horizontal axis, and importance increases upward on the vertical axis. The plane is divided into four quadrants, each calling for a different response.

Quadrant I: Important and Urgent: Tasks to start right away, such as incident response or work just before a deadline. If this quadrant is always crowded, it is a sign that something is wrong at the planning stage.
Quadrant II: Important but Not Urgent: The tasks with the greatest impact on results, and the ones you should deliberately reserve time for — process improvement, building systems, training. Without conscious effort they are postponed forever.
Quadrant III: Urgent but Not Important: Tasks that feel pressing but contribute little, such as routine paperwork or simple inquiries. Consider whether they can be delegated or simplified.
Quadrant IV: Neither Urgent nor Important: Work worth questioning altogether. Tasks you could reasonably decide to stop doing are often buried here.

Importance (High) Importance (Low) Urgency (Low) Urgency (High)

Important but Not Urgent

Important and Urgent

Neither Urgent nor Important

Urgent but Not Important

Placing and Unplacing Tasks

The 'Unplaced Tasks' panel on the left lists tasks with no priority set yet. Drag a card from there to any position on the plane to place it. You can keep dragging it afterwards to fine-tune the position, which helps when deciding how to treat tasks near a quadrant boundary. To undo a placement, drag the card back into the 'Unplaced Tasks' area.

Priority Score

A priority score from 0 to 100 is calculated automatically from where you place a task. The score weights urgency at 40% and importance at 60%, so between two equally urgent tasks the more important one scores higher. It is a deliberate counterweight to letting deadlines dictate your judgment.

Setting Priority from the Details Panel

You can also set priority without opening the matrix view. Turn on 'Enable matrix' in the Details tab and a small plane appears; wherever you click becomes that task's urgency and importance (it starts at the center). This lets you decide priority on the spot while creating tasks in the Gantt chart.

2. Adjusting the Display and Filtering

Switch how tasks are drawn so the plane stays readable as the number of tasks grows.

Display Modes (Detailed Card / Compact Badge / Dot)

'Detailed Card' shows assignees and due dates, which suits reviewing a small number of tasks. When cards overlap and become hard to read, switch to 'Compact Badge' to show names only, or to 'Dot' to take in the overall distribution at a glance. You can open the details panel by clicking a task in any mode.

Filtering and Zoom

Besides filtering by project, assignee, tag, and keyword, you can exclude finished work with 'Hide completed' or bring higher-level tasks into scope with 'Include parent tasks'. Selecting a specific Kanban view shows only the tasks currently on that board's stages. The plane can be zoomed in and out so you can inspect crowded areas. These settings are also saved per view.