If only there were a simple productivity system that didn’t require you to buy a book and watch ten YouTube videos to understand 30% of it.
If only there were a productivity technique that was simple enough to follow without overthinking it and would help you actually get things done the stress-free way.
If only there were a planning system that was quick to implement and required you to focus on your tasks instead of on the system itself.
Yes, there is such a system, and you’ve most likely never come across it. Why? It is so simple that most people walk straight past it because their lives are too complicated for such a simple system.
Okay, enough bragging and praising! Let me introduce you to Ivy Lee’s way of planning your days in a few minutes.
Ivy Lee Who?
Ivy Lee, also known as Ivy Ledbetter Lee, was an American publicity expert and a pioneer in the field of public relations. Born on July 16, 1877, Lee is often credited with developing modern public relations practices.
He is also known for his time and task management system, often referred to as the “Ivy Lee Method.” This method has been praised for its simplicity and effectiveness in boosting productivity.
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The Ivy Lee Method in a Nutshell
There are really just five steps you need to follow to implement Ivy Lee’s method successfully:
- End-of-Day Planning: At the end of each workday, write down the six most important tasks you need to accomplish the next day. This will help you clear your mind and set a clear agenda for the following day.
- Prioritize: Order these six tasks by importance, starting with the most critical one. This ensures that you tackle the most important tasks first.
- Focus on One Task at a Time: Start working on the first task and do not move on to the next one until the first is completed. This helps maintain focus and prevents multitasking, which can reduce efficiency.
- Move Incomplete Tasks to the Next Day: Any tasks that are not completed by the end of the day should be moved to the list for the following day. This way, no tasks will be forgotten.
- Repeat: At the end of each day, repeat the process for the next day.
This is how that would look like (please see the infographic below and save it to your best Pinterest board)
How do you choose six tasks out of 20?
Yes, I knew it! You have way more on your plate than you’d like, just like me and most people around us. So, when a nicely packed productivity system looks attractive but asks you to “prioritize”, you get confused (and likely frustrated) about the process. How do you choose the most important tasks when all of them seem and feel equally crucial to complete?
Use the Eisenhower Matrix!
Here’s how to create it:
Step 1: Draw a 2×2 grid:
- In the top-left quadrant, write “Urgent and Important.” This quadrant is for tasks that require immediate attention and are crucial.
- In the top-right quadrant, write “Not Urgent but Important.” This quadrant is for tasks that contribute to your long-term goals and require planning and focus.
- In the bottom-left quadrant, write “Urgent but Not Important.” This quadrant is for tasks that demand immediate action but may not contribute significantly to your long-term goals.
- In the bottom-right quadrant, write “Not Urgent and Not Important.” This quadrant is for tasks that are neither pressing nor contribute to your goals and should be minimized or eliminated.
Step 2: Identify your tasks and list them according to their urgency and importance:
- Urgent and Important tasks go into the top-left quadrant.
- Not Urgent, but Important tasks go into the top-right quadrant.
- Urgent but Not Important tasks go into the bottom-left quadrant.
- Not Urgent and Not Important tasks go into the bottom-right quadrant.
Step 3: Implement the Ivy Lee Method:
Implement the new Ivy Lee method you learned today to the urgent and most important tasks and go from there.
You can also watch my tutorial below:
Blogger, dreamer, procrastinator, and lover of everything soul-touching. My mission is to make you laugh, provoke your thoughts, light up your day and inspire you to fall in love with life and yourself.
