How I used Eisenhower's matrix to tame the noise of Slack

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It happened again. I missed something critical on Slack—a message buried beneath the flood of notifications that should have been front and center. This was the wake-up call I needed. Despite all the efforts to stay organized, Slack’s constant stream of notifications, unread messages, and channels I don’t even remember joining were drowning out the important stuff. Sound familiar?

That’s when I turned to an old, yet effective, decision-making tool: Eisenhower’s Matrix. You may know it as the framework that helps prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance, separating what's truly critical from what can wait—or what shouldn’t even be on your plate at all.

But how does this tool apply to Slack? Let me explain.

Understanding Eisenhower’s Matrix

If you’re not familiar, the Eisenhower Matrix categorizes tasks into four quadrants:
  1. Urgent and Important: Do it now.
  2. Important but Not Urgent: Schedule it for later.
  3. Urgent but Not Important: Delegate it.
  4. Neither Urgent nor Important: Eliminate it.


For me, Slack became a sea of Quadrant 3 and 4—urgent-seeming messages that weren’t really important, and unimportant conversations that had no bearing on my work. So, I started applying the matrix to how I handle Slack.

Taming Slack with the Sidebar

Let’s be honest—Slack is noisy, especially when you’re in over 130 channels (out of 5,000+ in my work's Slack workspace!). I needed a way to separate the critical messages from the noise.



This is where Slack’s Sidebar feature comes in handy. You can tweak it to show only unread channels—or none at all if you need to cut out distractions completely. By doing this, I use the Eisenhower Matrix approach:

  • Quadrant 1 (Urgent & Important): I pin key channels, directs, and peer team members to the top and make sure they’re always visible.

  • Quadrant 3 (Urgent but Not Important): Channels that I respond to quickly, but I should consider delegating my role in this channel. I put this one in "channels with new messages only" mode. I also have a monthly task to think about this category and how to empower my team to take these on. This is a WIP (work in progress).

  • Quadrant 2 (Important but Not Urgent): Channels that I only need to check when I have spare time are shown as "unread only" to catch up at my own pace.

  • Quadrant 4 (Neither Urgent nor Important): I typically leave channels that I don't need to be part of, but there are some channels (like social ones) that I like to do to engage with the work community, this is that bucket. I set this one to "Mentions only", and I only see them if I click on the subsection or if someone pings me directly. By having this hidden, I don't get easily distracted by social channels.

The "Unreads" Feature: A Hidden Gem

There’s also a hidden “Unreads” feature in Slack that’s easy to miss (it's in the preferences). It’s a lifesaver. Once enabled, it consolidates all unread messages, and you can sort them similarly to your sidebar. This way, I can quickly catch up on what's essential without jumping between dozens of channels. I’m not constantly distracted by new messages but can catch up efficiently when I choose to.

Monthly Slack Cleanup

Finally, I set a monthly reminder to review my channel list. It’s like decluttering your workspace. Over the month I get invited to new channels for various reasons, during cleanup I categorize the channel, or leave it if I really don't need to be in the channel any longer. It might sound tedious, but it’s a necessary step to keep Slack usable and focused, and honestly it takes 5 minutes per month.

In Summary

Slack is a fantastic tool, but it’s easy to let the flood of notifications overtake you. By combining the principles of Eisenhower’s Matrix with Slack’s built-in organization tools, I’ve found a balance that lets me stay focused on what really matters—while still catching up on the less urgent, but still important, messages in a structured way. It’s not perfect, and I still get overwhelmed now and then, but this system has drastically reduced my stress level—and, more importantly, I no longer miss the critical stuff. This system of intentional organization has helped me in my role at Grafana, where being plugged into the right conversations is critical to success. If you’re feeling the Slack noise creep in, try combining Eisenhower’s Matrix with the sidebar and unreads features, and take control of your channels again. 

Be the change you want to see in the world.

- Tim

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