I’ve two ongoing to-do lists I hold in my Apple Notes—one for work, the opposite for miscellaneous duties—which I’m going by and replace every morning when my bright-eyed and bushy-tailed thoughts is probably a bit too formidable. Examine off laundry, an article draft, and unanswered emails all earlier than lunch? No drawback. However by the top of the day, a lot to my chagrin, my to-do lists are nonetheless seemingly infinite, and it looks like I’ve nothing to indicate for it.
Blame it on my perfectionism, my insatiable starvation and opening the fridge each half hour as if one thing new miraculously appeared, or a gathering I’ve to log onto proper as my author’s block has lifted—distractions occur, and mastering the artwork of the to-do checklist is not any straightforward feat. And consultants agree: The frequent battle to deal with our to-do lists is actual—41 p.c of to-do gadgets are by no means accomplished. Cue the 1-3-5 rule. Is it the reply to our to-do checklist and productiveness woes? Maintain studying to search out out for your self.
What’s the 1-3-5 rule?
We chalk up falling brief on our to-do lists to interruptions and procrastinating tendencies, however we set ourselves up for failure by overloading our to-do lists, not conceptualizing actionable plans when making them, and our ineptness at estimating how lengthy it can take to finish duties (there’s even a phrase for it: planning fallacy). The excellent news is the 1-3-5 rule addresses all of our shortcomings. Created by The Muse’s founder and president, Alex Cavoulacos, it’s one in all her secrets and techniques for truly getting sh*t accomplished and conquering your to-do checklist. Right here’s the rundown: “On any given day, assume you can solely accomplish one huge factor, three medium issues, and 5 small issues,” Cavoulacos defined.
How one can apply the 1-3-5 rule
Step one is making a complete grasp checklist of every thing you have to get accomplished. Then, slim down that checklist to a extra digestible every day to-do checklist. Select one huge activity, three medium duties, and 5 small duties to finish in a day, so your every day to-do checklist consists of simply these 9 gadgets. For instance, you probably have a big mission that must be turned in by the top of the week, you’d determine that as your one huge activity. Then, you’d determine three medium duties, like following up with a shopper, outlining assembly plan notes, and sending invoices. Lastly, 5 smaller duties would spherical out your checklist. This might appear like answering precedence emails, setting assembly instances, checking in together with your teammates, or anything you will have in your plate that doesn’t take too lengthy to perform.
Simpler mentioned than accomplished, although, proper? “I do know it may be robust to slim your checklist of to-dos right down to 1-3-5—but it surely’s essential to prioritize,” Cavoulacos mentioned. “Prefer it or not, you solely have so many hours within the day, and also you’re solely going to get a finite variety of issues accomplished. Forcing your self to decide on a 1-3-5 checklist means the belongings you get accomplished would be the belongings you selected to do—relatively than what simply occurred to get accomplished.” Backside line: By having your 1-3-5 checklist on the prepared earlier than you begin the day, you’ll be intentional together with your time and focus and prioritize your most essential duties.
Ideas for profiting from the 1-3-5 rule
Now that you’ve a transparent framework to construction your day, it’s time to place the 1-3-5 rule into follow. Listed below are just a few expert-backed suggestions that may assist you profit from implementing this rule.
Make your duties particular
When writing our to-do lists, we often jot down every task in just a few phrases, a obscure description at greatest. The non-descriptive nature of our lists solely creates one more deterrent and time-suck since you’re left questioning the way you’re going to even begin mentioned task. As an alternative, write out clear-cut, actionable to-dos in order that if you get to every task, you’re able to deal with it head-on. For instance, relatively than merely writing “emails” in your 1-3-5 checklist, write “file emails into acceptable classes” or “reply to flagged emails.”
Begin with probably the most tough activity first
In keeping with Brian Tracy, the creator of the legendary e book about productiveness, Eat That Frog! (greater than 450,000 copies bought and translated into 23 languages), if the very first thing you do every morning is eat a stay frog, then you definitely’re accomplished with the hardest factor for the day. “Your ‘frog’ is your greatest, most essential activity,” Tracy mentioned. “It’s the one you might be most certainly to procrastinate on if you happen to don’t do one thing about it. So, ‘eat that frog’ is one other method of claiming that you probably have two essential duties earlier than you, begin with the most important, hardest, and most essential activity first.” In different phrases, make your “frog,” AKA your one huge activity, probably the most difficult factor, the factor you’ve been placing on the again burner.
Write your 1-3-5 checklist forward of time
“Earlier than leaving work, take a couple of minutes to outline your 1-3-5 for the following day so that you’re able to hit the bottom working within the morning,” Cavoulacos really helpful. Whether or not it’s earlier than you shut your laptop computer for the day or very first thing within the morning, carve out time to sit down down and thoughtfully plan out your 1-3-5 checklist. You’ll find yourself saving time in the long term if you take the additional 5-10 minutes to construct your checklist deliberately relatively than doing it on a whim. If going old-fashioned and writing it out by hand isn’t for you, attempt utilizing digital to-do checklist apps, like Todoist, Google Duties, or Trello, or giving The Muse’s template a whirl.
Be versatile
If 9 to-do gadgets nonetheless appear too daunting or in case your days are filled with conferences, you would possibly want to chop your variety of gadgets down. Begin with 1-2-3 and slowly construct your method as much as 1-3-5. The Muse Editors who’ve tried the 1-3-5 rule firsthand recommend leaving a few of your activity slots clean to fill in as issues come up, particularly you probably have plenty of surprising duties thrown at you in your job. Don’t get fixated on the numbers or the logistics. Give the 1-3-5 (or your individual model) a go with the intention to hone in on the issues that matter most to you. It’s as straightforward as 1-2-3 or 1-3-5.
Supply: The Every Girl
