The Ivy Lee method: A simple guide to prioritization
Tempo Team
In 1918, looking for a way to help his executives work more efficiently, Bethlehem Steel president Charles M. Schwab turned to productivity consultant Ivy Lee.
Lee suggested a simple system: At the end of each workday, write down the six most important tasks for tomorrow, rank them by priority, and tackle them in order. That advice – which Lee delivered in just 15 minutes – quickly spread and became known as the Ivy Lee method. More than a century later, its straightforward approach to prioritization still helps people cut through distractions and focus on what matters most.
In this guide, we’ll explain how the Ivy Lee method works, why it’s so effective, and how you can apply it to your own workflow.
What’s the Ivy Lee method?
The Ivy Lee method involves listing six tasks, completing them individually in order of importance, and moving unfinished items to the next day.
Think of it like a daily planner. It helps you stay focused, avoid juggling too much at once, and keep your workload manageable. Like the five whys, it’s simple but effective, which makes it easy to stick with over time. Over 100 years after its creation, it’s still one of the most popular task prioritization techniques in use today.
Why does the Ivy Lee method work?
The Ivy Lee method works like a basic to-do list, and its no-frills design is one of the main reasons why it’s so effective. Beyond that, here are a few other advantages that make it such a reliable time management method.
Reduces decision fatigue
Instead of scrambling to set priorities midday, you plan ahead the night before. This approach mirrors goal-setting strategies that emphasize clarity and intention at the start, not during the rush of execution. By mapping out your list in advance, you prevent decision fatigue – the mental exhaustion that comes from making too many choices – and begin the day with a clear head and a focused plan.
Promotes deliberate prioritization
Limiting yourself to six tasks forces you to weigh what really matters. You tackle the top priorities first and avoid spreading yourself too thin. For example, in agile project management, the Ivy Lee method can help team members choose critical tasks without undermining the framework’s flexibility.
Encourages single-tasking
Rather than juggling multiple things at once, you give each task your full attention. Single-tasking makes it easier to finish what you start, avoid mistakes, and accomplish more by the end of the day.
Builds momentum
The Ivy Lee method encourages you to cross items off one by one to create steady progress. Instead of staring at half-finished work, you gain a sense of completion and motivation with every task you finish. That momentum carries you through the rest of your list.
How to use the Ivy Lee method: 4 steps
The Ivy Lee method is simple enough that you can incorporate it into your daily routine right away. Here’s how to prioritize work with this approach, step by step.
1. At day’s end, list six tasks for tomorrow
Before leaving work, write down six tasks you want to tackle the next day. These should be your most important activities, things that actually move projects forward. Skip the tiny recurring items like email or Slack – those can live in short time blocks. Think of this as your daily planner for meaningful work.
2. Rank your tasks by priority
Order the list from most important to least. Use your judgment, or lean on frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix, which separates urgent/important work from everything else. Some people also use the five whys to determine why a task matters before placing it on the list. However you rank them, the goal is clear priorities, not a scattered to-do list.
3. Start the day with the first task
When you sit down in the morning, start with task #1 and give it your full attention. No toggling between tabs, no quick distractions – just deep focus until it’s complete. Once done, check it off and move to the next task. This structure reduces procrastination and makes a heavy workload feel manageable.
4. Work down the list in order
Keep going until the list is complete. If you finish early, tackle overflow work or prep tomorrow’s list. If you don’t finish, roll the incomplete tasks to the next day’s list. Some people put these at the top, while others adjust based on new deadlines.
Think of it like using ranged estimates in project management: You’re committing to a rough scope of tasks for the day, knowing you might finish a little more or less. That built-in flexibility is what makes the Ivy Lee method sustainable. You always know the next step, but you’re not trapped in a rigid plan.
Tips to elevate the Ivy Lee method
The Ivy Lee method works because it’s simple, not in spite of it. And with a few productivity tips, you can make it even more effective.
Start small
Pick manageable tasks, especially when you’re starting out. Overloading your daily planner can leave you feeling overwhelmed before the method has a chance to work. A bottom-up approach to project estimation helps: Build your task list from realistic effort, not guesses. You can even use a three-point projection (best case, expected, worst case) to see how much actually fits into a single day.
Don’t get discouraged by unfinished tasks
It’s natural to feel frustrated when items carry over, but the Ivy Lee method is designed for that. Simply move the unfinished task to tomorrow’s list and keep going. Over time, this repetition becomes valuable historical data that provides insight into how long tasks take. That’s the foundation of parametric estimation: using past performance to more accurately predict the effort future tasks will require. The more cycles you complete, the better you’ll get at prioritizing with confidence.
Be realistic about your workload
Not every day needs six items. If a few high-priority tasks demand most of your focus, keep your list to three or four. Prioritizing fewer, bigger tasks keeps your schedule realistic and helps you accomplish what matters most.
Combine it with other time management strategies
Pair the Ivy Lee method with time blocking to give each task a protected slot in your day. For example, put proposal writing and a progress review into a two-hour focus block, or carve out a short window to handle messages. By blocking time for both major and minor tasks, you balance structure with flexibility and avoid letting distractions derail your priorities.
Connecting daily tasks to strategic goals with Tempo
The Ivy Lee method helps you stay focused on daily priorities, while Tempo shows how those tasks fit into the bigger picture. Structure PPM organizes work into hierarchies so teams can see how their work connects to bigger goals, while Timesheets logs how long tasks actually take. By looking at efforts and results together, you see where time really goes and plan smarter for tomorrow.
Connect priorities with strategy and ensure daily to-dos yield long-term results – with Tempo.
