✒️ How to Actually Do Your To-Dos

Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. If you’re new around here, welcome! 👋 You can catch up on our previous editions right here.

This week: We're exploring how the 1-3-5 Rule can help you put a dent in your to-do list. Let’s dive in!

📏 What’s the 1-3-5 Rule?

The 1-3-5 Rule is a planning tool that makes your daily to-do list more manageable and achievable.

How? By limiting it to just 9 tasks.

Picture your tasks as small, medium, and large — like your coffee order.

Then:

1. Plan your day around 1 large task you want to complete

2. Pick 3 medium tasks — these can be separate from your large task, or related to it

3. Choose 5 small tasks that need completing but can fit between your larger tasks

With this method, you’ll learn what you can actually accomplish in a day so you can set more realistic expectations.

The 1-3-5 Rule is also flexible, making it a great alternative to more rigid approaches, like time-boxing.

But how do you decide which tasks are small, medium, or large? Keep reading to find out!

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Now, here’s how to start implementing the 1-3-5 Rule into your days:

🏃 Getting Started with the 1-3-5 Rule

Want to try it for yourself? Here are 3 tips for using this powerful task management technique.

📏 Decide task size

It can be hard to know how “big” a task is, especially when starting out.

When determining a task’s size, consider when it’s due, how long it will take, and whether it will show up on your list again in the future.

Here are some examples to guide you!

Small Tasks:

• Reply to emails

• Pay phone bill

• Meditate

Medium Tasks:

• Attend weekly work sync

• Outline essay

• Buy birthday present

Big Tasks:

• Write essay

• Attend birthday party

• Finish presentation

🎧 Focus on one task at a time

Splitting your attention between several tasks can hurt your concentration. Not to mention multitasking can feel frantic and stressful.

Focusing on one task at a time makes you faster, more efficient, and better able to complete the task to the best of your ability.

But it’s also notoriously hard to do. Here are some tips for maintaining your focus:

• Reduce distractions as much as you can.

• Keep a notebook handy to capture random thoughts and reminders immediately.

• Take a break every 2 hours to refuel your brain.

🎛️ Remix it

Flexibility is one of the best parts of the 1-3-5 Rule.

If something comes up or you’re having a bad day, you can modify it to 1-2-3 or 1-2-2.

Experiment with different versions to find what works best for your brain!

🪅 Flocus Picks

A curated list of things worth sharing.

• The 1-3-5 Rule Notion Template by Geeksla (Template) — Try out the 1-3-5 Rule in Notion with this free, simple template!

• 1-3-5 Rule That'll Increase Your Productivity By 90% by BRIGHT SIDE (YouTube) — An informative video explaining the 1-3-5 Rule in detail.

• 9 Signs You’re Doing Too Much (Article) — How to know when you’ve taken on more tasks and responsibilities than you can reasonably handle

🖥️ Flocus: All-in-One Dashboard

Track your 1-3-5 tasks in Flocus, our free, browser-based dashboard packed with productivity tools! Including a custom Pomodoro timer, task list, ambient sounds, aesthetic backgrounds, focus stats, and more.

Open in Browser

Try the 1-3-5 Rule if you tend to cram your to-do list with more than you can handle in a day.

It’s perfect for powering through the small stuff that’s been lingering on your list without overexerting yourself.

Until next Sunday,

Flocus Team