The Ivy Lee Method (End-of-Day Planning)

What is The Ivy Lee Method (End-of-Day Planning)?

At the end of each workday, write down the 6 most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow, ranked by priority. Tomorrow, work on #1 until it's done, then #2, then #3. Never more than 6. This 100-year-old method was so effective that Charles Schwab paid $25,000 for it in 1918.

Is there evidence for it?

How do you do The Ivy Lee Method (End-of-Day Planning)?

1. 1.At the end of your workday (not the next morning), write down the 6 most important tasks for tomorrow. If you can't think of 6, write fewer — never more
2. 2.Rank them 1-6 by true importance (not urgency). Ask: 'If I could only finish ONE thing tomorrow, which would matter most?' That's #1
3. 3.Tomorrow morning: start with #1 immediately. No email, no meetings, no 'quick checks' first. Work on #1 until it's complete or you've taken it as far as possible today
4. 4.Then move to #2. If you only finish 3 of 6, that's fine — you finished the 3 most important things. Move unfinished tasks to tomorrow's list
5. 5.The power is in the CONSTRAINT: only 6 items forces you to prioritize ruthlessly. And planning at night means your subconscious works on the list while you sleep. Charles Schwab (Bethlehem Steel) paid Ivy Lee $25,000 (~$500K today) after trying this for 3 months

How long does it take?

10 minutes at end of day.

Is it hard to start?

easy.

> how Shift handles procrastination

This is one entry from the library Shift matches against. It is general information, not advice about you, and nothing on this page came from anyone's conversation.