To do lists – we all make them, but we don’t always make it through them. Why is that? Because as well-intentioned as we may be, many little situations can arise, or matters that need our attention, and the items on our to-do lists get pushed further and further down –sometimes without ever seeing the light of day – often leading to frustration with ourselves and our own abilities.
However, the key to increasing your productivity doesn’t have to be a difficult one. Why not break out of the ineffective cycle and try something that has the potential to change everything? It’s called the 1-3-5 rule, and here’s how it works.
Instead of writing out a long to-do list that you may or may not be able to realistically, get through, make a list with:
- 1 big thing
- 3 medium things, and
- 5 little things
The 1-3-5 rule isn’t hard and fast – you can allow yourself some flexibility. If last minute factors come up that make it hard for you to get through the list, you can always cut out one of the small tasks to accommodate them.
The beauty of the 1-3-5 to do list is that it forces you to prioritize. After all, there are only 24 hours in any given day, so it stands to reason that only so many tasks can be performed in that time – by a human anyway. The 1-3-5 rule ensures that the important things are taken care of, which helps prevent guilt, frustration, and a host of other negative emotions; and makes you more productive than you normally would be. The rule allows you to choose what’s most important to you and enables you to get it done, instead of just hoping that you will be able to. Prioritizing for productivity is a win-win situation.
