The Ivy Lee Method

The Ivy Lee Method is one of the oldest productivity routines still in use, and its whole power sits in a single limit: six tasks, in order, every day. Each evening you write the six most important things for tomorrow, rank them by true importance, and the next day you work the list from the top, finishing one task before starting the next. The story traces back to 1918 and a consultant named Ivy Lee, but the method stands on its own.

The method in five steps

1. 1Write six, no more

   At the end of the workday, list the six most important things to finish tomorrow. The cap is the method: it forces a real choice.

2. 2Rank them

   Number them one to six by importance, not by how quick they are. A rough ranking beats none.

3. 3Start at number one

   The next morning, begin with task one and work it until it is done. No jumping ahead to the easy ones.

4. 4Work down the list

   Treat tasks two through six the same way: finish, then move on. One task at a time.

5. 5Roll over what is left

   Anything unfinished moves to tomorrow’s list of six. If the same task rolls over three times, split it or drop it.

Why the six-task cap works

• Six is small enough to finish and large enough to matter. A twenty-item list signals chaos; a six-item list signals a plan.
• Ranking the night before removes the morning debate about where to start.
• One task at a time cuts the switching that drains focus.
• Writing tomorrow tonight closes the open loop, so the day starts calm instead of scattered.

Decide the six tonight, so the morning has nothing to decide but the first one.

Try it in BluePomodoro