The new 1-3-5 rule makes you a lot more successful

To-do lists are my best friends; having an overview of what you need to do in a day brings more peace. And it also feels really good to be able to cross something off. But sometimes it feels like your list is still on the ground at the end of the day and it really will never get done. It may be that you are organizing your tasks in the wrong way. According to experts, the 1-3-5 rule is the trick that will help you cross everything off.

The mistakes with to-do lists

Often we blame the inability to complete our task list on unexpected things that came up or we accuse ourselves of procrastination. Not a crazy thought, but actually, you can already assess before you start a list whether it is feasible or not. If you write down an infinite number of tasks, you can assume that this will not work. Just because you have to do all those things doesn't mean they all have to and can be done in one day. Also, determining how long you will be busy with your various assignments turns out to be more difficult than expected. The big problem: we always throw all our to-dos into one big pile, without thinking it through. And that is exactly where the 1-3-5 rule can help you.

How does it work?

The 1-3-5 rule assumes that you can complete one large, three medium-sized, and five small tasks each day. To start, make that long list as you usually do. Then comes the most important point: sort your tasks by size. An important deadline at the end of the week is, for example, a large task, and updating your email is a small one. So your list has a maximum of nine items; sounds doable, right? It can sometimes be quite difficult to choose just nine things, you don't want to leave any work undone. The 1-3-5 rule forces you to be critical about which tasks are really the most important right now. A day is not endless, so you will have to choose. Otherwise, you will really never get rid of that list.

A few more tips

The 1-3-5 rule thus already provides a clear structure and length for your to-do list. But there are a few extra tips to really get the most out of it.

1. Write your tasks down as clearly as possible
If you are already thinking about what this means and what you actually need to do, that is not motivating. Instead of just ‘emails’, for example, write down sorting emails. The more concrete the task, the quicker you will start on it.

2. Start with the hardest task
On a to-do list, there is always one task that you would prefer to postpone for as long as possible. It is a bit harder and takes more time. No matter how tempting it is to do the easier things first, it is actually good to tackle that one troublemaker right away. You can only get it over with, right? Then the rest of your day suddenly becomes easy.

3. Take the time to make your list
Taking five to ten minutes to create your 1-3-5 list ensures that you have an overview for your day. You don't have to think again about what you will do next after each task, which saves a lot of time. Making your list for the next day just before you go home or starting with it right in the morning ensures the most productive day possible. And that's what you want, of course.

4. Be flexible
I can imagine that nine tasks sometimes still seems like a lot, especially on a day full of appointments. It is therefore not a problem at all to be flexible with the 1-3-5 rule and to build it up gradually. For example, start with a 1-2-3 version, and you can then gradually add more tasks if you find that you have more time left. Of course, spontaneous assignments can also come up during your workday. To solve that, you can keep some spots open in your list where you can place these tasks. You can shape the rule entirely to your own liking, as long as you are consciously engaged with what you are going to do when and especially do not want too much.

Source: The Everygirl | Image: Netflix