The 1/3/5 rule says a day's list should hold one big task, three medium tasks and five small ones. Nine items. The point is the cap. If the list is longer, it is a wish list, not a plan.
Why a cap works
Most to-do lists fail because they are honest about wants and dishonest about hours. A day has about six hours of real work in it, after meetings and interruptions. One big task takes three of those. Three medium tasks take two. Five small ones fill the rest. The math closes, which is why the rule works.
How to use it
- The big one is the thing you would be proud to have finished. Do it first.
- The medium ones take 30 to 60 minutes each. A review, a call, a short document.
- The small ones take under 15 minutes. Replies, approvals, bookings.
Write the list the evening before. In the morning, start the big one before you open email.
For a team
The rule is useful for managers for a different reason. If a person's "big one" keeps rolling to the next day, the task is too big, or the day has no room for it. Both are the manager's problem to fix, not the person's.
Where M-Tracker fits
A big task rolls over when nobody agreed what finished means. In M-Tracker, the big one has a brief, and the work is checked against it when it is sent. The timer shows whether the big task really got its three hours or was eaten by small things. That is the conversation worth having on Friday.
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Questions people ask
Is 1/3/5 better than 3-3-3?
They solve the same problem. 3-3-3 protects hours. 1/3/5 caps items. Use the one that fits how you think.
What if something urgent comes in?
Something else comes off. The cap only works if it is a cap.
Does it work for a week?
Yes. One big project, three medium, five small, per week, for people whose work moves slowly.
Work you can trust, without redoing it.
Your team gets feedback before work reaches you, or your client.
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