This 100-year-old productivity hack will save your day

The most common productivity mistake is measuring time management by how much you get done. The real key is tackling priorities with efficiency, otherwise known as “the Ivy Lee method”.

In 1918, Charles M. Schwab – president of shipbuilding company Bethlehem Steel, and one of the world’s richest men – took a meeting with productivity expert Ivy Lee. Schwab said: “Show me a way to get more things done.” Lee replied: “Give me 15 minutes with your executives.”

There was no charge for the service. Lee presented a simple five-step plan and told Schwab to send him a check for whatever he felt it was worth in three months’ time. Schwab ended up writing a check for $25,000 (about $430,000 today). Here’s what Lee prescribed…

Step #1: At the end of each working day, write down the most important tasks you need to accomplish tomorrow. Make sure this list is no longer than six items.

Step #2: Prioritize the tasks in order of importance.

Step #3: When you start the next day, focus only on the first task until it is completed. Then move on to the next one.

Step #4: Keep tackling each item in order on the list until they’re done. If some tasks remain outstanding at the end of the day, move them onto tomorrow’s list (if still relevant).

Step #5: Repeat these steps every working day.

What makes this technique so effective is its simplicity. Complexity only makes things harder: it’s why we mistake multitasking for getting stuff done.

Bottom line: Effective productivity isn’t about doing lots of things at once. By focusing on doing the most important thing first each day, you remove any friction from starting and force yourself to tackle one thing at a time.