Overwhelming To-Do List? Simplify it with the 1-3-5 Rule

A LinkedIn poll found that 90% of professionals don’t accomplish everything they planned for the day. Sounds very accurate, right? The main reason to-do lists aren’t completed is that even though we try to organize and plan, we tend to underestimate how long each task will take. Plus, we don’t factor in all of the things that pop up and on to our to-do list during a workday.

Alex Cavoulacos from The Muse has a plan to help correct this. She asserts, “On any given day, assume that you can only accomplish one big thing, three medium things, and five small things.” A “big” task might require a few hours, a “medium” task about an hour or so, and a “small” task about 15-30 minutes.  She encourages leaving one or two medium and small tasks blank for the unexpected urgent assignments that always seem to creep into one’s day.

You can download a copy of the 1-3-5 To-Do List at The Muse here - https://themuse-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/newrules/8-%20135