Within minutes, I came across these two status updates from friends who work at law firms:
“I have too much going on”
“I haven’t even gotten to my to-do list yet”.
We can all relate. It’s impossible to escape the nonstop online (and offline) flow of Twitter and Facebook, email, voicemail and text messages, the office pop-in and water-cooler chats. How can we ever keep up? Should we even try to? Can we really get everything meaningfully done…today?
No. And trying to do so can lead to frustration and feeling overwhelmed, and ultimately, procrastination.
After acknowledging that we can’t tackle everything, it’s time to prioritize. We’ve discussed single tasking and tools that help you focus on the task at hand, like the Pomodoro technique, but prioritizing the tasks to work on day in and day out can be a challenge.
The 3 + 2 Rule
After struggling with bottomless to-do lists, working all hours of the day and night and still feeling like I hadn’t effectively tackled all of the tasks I wanted to, I came across a discussion of the 3 + 2 Rule. First, identify only 3 big things and 2 small things to do in a day. Write down the 3 main activities you need to accomplish, each taking 2 to 3 hours, and 2 minor ones that take around 20 minutes each.
Like most rituals, elements can be massaged, but I’ve played around with this — like adding tasks and adjusting the time assigned to each and keep coming back to the 3 + 2 standard. Maybe it’s the structure that resonates and an awareness of the slippery slope of messing around too much with the process.
Coupled with practices based on the afore mentioned Pomodoro technique, the 3 + 2 rule has resulted in a more focused, productive day and a feeling of accomplishment with measurable goals, and tasks completed — for those days that I actually do it. This post also serves as a reminder to myself to continue the practice consistently so that it becomes routine.
Productivity tools and processes are not one-size-fits all, so play around with elements of the 3 + 2 rule to suit your unique daily taks and routine. If you’re trying this and have had success or have additional tips, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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Tim, what a great idea. I have a to do list posted on so many places, like Evernote, but no priority except what I impose when I look at it. The problem, of course, is the interruptions. And the sources of the interruptions can be an email, a phone call or any of a number of things. Maybe it is a good idea to create your 3+2 list the day before so that you don’t let little things, like life, get in the way of your to do list!
Thanks, Pam. Like your suggestion about creating an action list the day before. In fact, I wrote about that in a post I did today
I’m glad it works for you Tim! I have to say, I tried some other stuff for few months and then got back to this, because it’s just works like nothing else for me
You really came up with something people are looking for and can use. This post resonated widely. It’s working for me, too. Appreciate the opportunity to riff off you to spread the good word