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Templates · Meetings & productivity

Free Priority List Template with Urgent/Important Matrix (Sheets, Excel, PDF)

A priority list template helps you decide what to do first by scoring each task's importance and urgency and placing it in an Eisenhower quadrant: do, schedule, delegate or drop.

Written byProject management editorial team
  • Published
  • Google Sheets · Excel · PDF
priority list template

Free download · no sign-up

Get the priority list template

Pick your level and format: Google Sheets, Excel or a print-ready PDF. Spreadsheets include dropdowns, formulas and sample rows you can overwrite.

Beginner

Essential columns only, one tab. Quick to fill in.

1 tab · 6 columns

GSheetsXExcelPPDF
AdvancedMost popular

The full template with every tab, dropdowns and formulas.

1 tab · 8 columns

GSheetsXExcelPPDF
Expert

Adds a live dashboard, instructions, revision history and status colours.

1 data tab + instructions, dashboard and revision history

GSheetsXExcelPPDF

Priority List Template preview

Priority list
TaskImportance (1-5)Urgency (1-5)ScoreQuadrantOwnerDue dateStatus
Fix production outage5525Do nowMe9 Mar 2026In progress
Write Q2 plan5210ScheduleMe20 Mar 2026Not started
Book meeting room248DelegateAssistant10 Mar 2026Not started
Reorganise old files111DropNot started

Sample rows are examples: replace them with your own.

What's included

  • Importance and urgency scoring with automatic Eisenhower quadrant and score
  • Priority list: Task, Importance (1-5), Urgency (1-5), Score, Quadrant, Owner, Due date, Status

How to use the priority list template

  1. List everything competing for your time.
  2. Score importance (impact on goals) and urgency (time pressure) from 1 to 5.
  3. Read the quadrant: Do now, Schedule, Delegate or Drop.
  4. Assign owners for delegated items and dates for scheduled ones.
  5. Re-score weekly as priorities change.

Tips for getting the most from it

  • Protect time for important, non-urgent work.
  • Be honest about what can be dropped.
  • Sort by score to see your top priorities.
  • Copy top items into your to-do list.

Learn more

Frequently asked questions

What is a priority list template?

A priority list template ranks tasks by importance and urgency so you know what to do first.

Is this priority list template free?

Yes. The priority list template is free in Google Sheets, Excel and PDF.

How does the priority list template calculate priority?

It multiplies importance by urgency for a score and assigns an Eisenhower quadrant.

What is the Eisenhower matrix in the priority list template?

A 2x2 of importance and urgency: do now, schedule, delegate or drop.

Can teams use the priority list template?

Yes. Teams can score shared work together and assign owners.

Can I use the priority list template for projects?

Yes. Use it to rank project requests before adding them to a project tracker.

How often should I update the priority list template?

Re-score your priority list weekly or when new work arrives.

What is the difference between a priority list template and a to-do list template?

A priority list template ranks tasks; a to-do list template tracks doing them.

Can I change the scoring scale in the priority list template?

Yes. Edit the threshold in the quadrant formula to suit your scale.

Is there a priority list template in Excel?

Yes. Download the .xlsx priority list template with formulas.

What is the difference between the beginner, advanced and expert priority list template?

The beginner priority list template keeps only the essential columns on one tab; the advanced version is the full template with every tab, dropdown and formula; the expert version adds a live dashboard, instructions, revision history and status colours.