While reading The New Rules of Work, a new book by co-founders of The Muse, I stumbled on an alternative to-do list strategy that I thought was worth sharing.
Here’s the strategy:
“On any given day, assume that you can only accomplish one big thing, three medium things, and five small things, and narrow down your to-do list to those nine items.”
Simple, right? You’ll probably still want to keep a master list of all the things on your list (having them written down or stored digitally is much better than trying to remember them), but this list is all about prioritization.
It’s important to make progress on big things. However, most of us still have small things we need to knock off the list too. And of course, some things aren’t quite big or small—they’re in the middle.
You can’t do five big things a day. But you can do five little things. So pick one big thing, three medium things, and five small things. Then get to work!
Looking for more great reads? Check out these related articles:
- Get Your To-Do List Under Control
- How to Use Avoidance to Boost Productivity
- Technology, Boundaries, and Taking a Break From Emails and Notifications for Awhile
- How to Spark Creativity in Your Workplace
- Top 10 Tips to Get More Done in Less Time
- 6 Productivity Techniques Worth Implementing ASAP
- The 8 Biggest Time-Management Obstacles and How to Avoid Them for Maximum Productivity
- 10 Tips for Creating a Personal Time-Management System
- 25 Time Management Tips to Make the Most of Your Work Day
