Quick Win: The 3-Item To Do List!
Check out this tried-and-true productivity method!
Greetings!
In honor of my third post here at the Primer & Scout, LLC blog, I thought we could tackle a topic that includes three of something! Most virtual assistants love sharing and using organizational tools, so let’s talk about the THREE-Item To Do List, a Quick Win project for us this week!
This Quick Win is useful, no matter what you do or where you work.
Quick Win Basics: What is a Three-Item To Do List?
There are many variations on this theme of the “Three-Item To Do List,” with multiple time- and task-management gurus having their corner on the Three Items Variations Market, so let’s keep it simple for clarity’s sake.
The basic idea is to start each day with a list of the main three tasks we each must accomplish that day based on our priorities—work, personal, or both.
Studies show that we humans do well
with a small—yet carefully crafted—list of tasks to achieve daily.
So, at the end of each day (or the start of the day, depending on preference), it’s recommended that we thoughtfully review our outstanding items and choose the THREE MOST IMPORTANT TASKS to put at the top of the list and to tackle first and foremost.
Checking those Very Important Tasks off the list indicates a successful day and keeps our motivation flowing for the more mundane work ahead.
I started using this method four years ago when I discovered a daily planner with a section for “Today’s Top Three” at the tippy-top of the To-Do List column and my life was changed forever!
Speaking of life-changing, you’ll have to bear with me and the hyphens in this topic title! I purposely dropped one hyphen out for ease of reading…but don’t tell my high school English teacher, who also happens to be my mom!
How to get started with the Three-Item To Do List!
So, you’re ready to write down your Top 3 Priority Items, and you’re wondering HOW???
- How to narrow down to just three.
- How to prioritize the three tasks you just wrote down.
- How to get three actual things done in the midst of your busy days.
Am I right?
No worries!
Simply start here:
Before you dive into reacting to your day, review your goals and your calendar. What are your urgent priorities? What do you need to accomplish today to feel…well, accomplished?
These are the items that go in your Three-Item To Do List.
(For simplicity, we’ll refer to this hereafter as the 3ITDL.)
These should be substantive tasks—large or small—that will make a difference to pushing you and your priorities forward.
Then, move into thinking about this:
Depending on your set of priorities, your 3ITDL may be the exact same items every day for a week, a month, a year. Or you may need/prefer to define a new 3ITDL for each day.
Either way is fine. It’s your list! You get to choose how it works best for you!
What if there are more than three items on the list?!
This 3ITDL is a powerful tool! But what if you have more than three items to accomplish in a day? Are you still allowed to do those jobs if you adopt the amazing 3ITDL?
THE ANSWER IS YES!
Everyone has many more than three tasks that must be done each day. You likely have at least 300 for every day.
Your 3ITDL is meant to move you forward on your most-important work, but it is not the only to-do list you can make.
After you have identified your top three priorities that you will tackle first and/or foremost, you may fill in below that list (or create a separate list) with your other to-do items like sending out that meeting-recap email, dropping off the dry cleaning, writing a thank you note, signing the kids up for soccer camp, tackling yet another small chunk of that long-term project, and so on.
For example, my planner has a long To-Do column, with that section headed by “Today’s Top 3.” Below that sits the regular, old “To-Do List” waiting for no fewer than 20 potential non-Top 3 tasks!
To be honest, I often cram multiple tasks onto the non-Top 3 lines.
But, as long as my Top 3 items are checked off at day’s end
(barring any unforeseen issues with accomplishing those tasks),
it was a good day’s work, and I can close my planner for the day
knowing that most important work was completed!
If you’re interested in how that style of planner might work for you, check out the free printables offered by the publisher (https://daydesigner.com/pages/try-our-pages).
Disclaimer: I am
not affiliated with Day Designer and do
not earn any commission for this referral.
Need help getting started?
As we wind down this Quick Win discussion of the powerful 3ITDL, let’s explore how to get started with the list! I know this seems like backtracking, but stick with me!
What is the best way to arrive at your Top 3 Items?
Well, there are two typical methods, and you might choose the one that works best for you.
Method #1: Brain dump every task you can think of for the day (or week), and then choose your Top 3 from that mega-list of large and small items.
Method #2: Review your day/week, decide on your Top 3, and then everything else goes into the common to-do list.
Of course, there’s always an exception…and that’s where I live!
(You, too, you say?) I tend toward Method #2 but often find myself adding my less-important tasks to the common list while working to define my Top 3, so I jump between my 3ITDL and my common list. It works out in the end!
What’s next?
First of all, thanks for stopping by today! It’s always wonderful to see you!
Second, I would love to learn from you about your typical to-do list! Do you use a variation of the 3ITDL? What does your list tend to look like? Is it a daily list? Weekly? (Or broader than that?) And how do you arrive at what you add to your list?
If you have a powerhouse method, click on the contact me button to let me know your best practices. I would love to update this post someday soon with your idea!
Now, if you are a small business owner or solopreneur who is having trouble finding time to make your list…let alone cross anything off of it, then you and I are probably meant to be business partners (and pals!).
My strategic-planning and administrative skills lend themselves well to sorting through the “stuff” to create an organized space for productivity! This is part of the value virtual assistance can bring to your business.
Click on the contact me button below to connect with me on this topic!
Primer & Scout, LLC
