The idea of prioritizing tasks can be daunting (especially if you don’t know where your priorities should lie), so this system creates a very simple grid to base your to-do list on. To make this even easier, we’ve created a very simple (and pretty) spreadsheet for you to map out your 1-3-5 items, which you can download here.Īlex Honeysett does a great breakdown of the Eisenhower Method, but the gist is that you need to start understanding two things about each one of your to-dos: How important is it, and how urgent is it? The big lesson here is that what is important is not always urgent, and vice versa.

If you work in a job in which things really do come up and need to be dealt with ASAP, leave one of your medium and one or two of your small slots open each day to fill in with the most important immediate needs.

And if prioritizing is in fact your biggest issue when it comes to productivity, this will help you get better at it. This is where the 1-3-5 rule comes in handy: By mapping out one big thing, three medium things, and five smaller things you want to get done that day (and, yes, that’s generally the number of tasks you can reasonably get done in a day), you’ll instantly know where your priorities lie (and what can wait). Sure, you really wanted to finish that gigantic committee report that’s been weighing on you for weeks, but you just had to fill your to-do list with 17 more things that need your immediate attention. Over the course of the day, it’s easy to get caught up in the all the little things that come up. Here’s a roundup of our best to-do list tips-because it’s time to become one of those 11% who actually finish what they set out to do.

So, don’t worry, you’re not alone!Īnother reason not to worry: There are simple strategies you can employ to get more done and make your to-do list way more manageable. Here’s a terrifying (but strangely comforting) fact: A whopping 89% of people don’t regularly finish their daily to-do lists.

My todo