The Ivy Lee Method

A reference for the Ivy Lee method: six tasks, ranked, done one at a time. It covers the famous Charles Schwab and Bethlehem Steel story (and how weak its sourcing is), the modern versions (1-3-5, MITs, Big 3), the research on to-do lists and plan-making, and what Journalwright Studio should take from it.

Checked against sources on 2026-09-28. Where a detail couldn't be confirmed from a primary source, it's marked (unconfirmed). Where a story is probably legend, it's marked (apocryphal).

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1. At a glance

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2. Summary

At the end of each workday, write down the six most important things to do tomorrow, and no more than six. Rank them by real importance. Tomorrow, work on only the first until it's done, then the second, and so on. At the end of the day, move anything unfinished onto the new list of six. Repeat every working day. That's the whole method. It's told through a story: in 1918 Charles M. Schwab of Bethlehem Steel let Ivy Lee spend 15 minutes with each of his executives, tried the rule for three months, and then sent Lee a cheque for $25,000. The method is real and useful; the story is poorly sourced. No 1918 record has been found, the first known printed versions come decades later, and some details (Schwab as "president" in 1918, versions naming Andrew Carnegie) don't fit the historical record. The modern descendants are Leo Babauta's MITs, The Muse's 1-3-5 rule and Michael Hyatt's Daily Big 3. Research backs the idea that writing a concrete plan for tomorrow calms the mind (Masicampo & Baumeister 2011; Scullin et al. 2018), but no study has tested "six, ranked, in order" itself.

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3. History and origin

Who is said to have created it

• Ivy Ledbetter Lee was born on 15 July 1877 near Cedartown, Georgia, the son of a Methodist minister. He studied at Emory and graduated from Princeton.
• He was a newspaper reporter, then a publicity man. In 1906 he issued what's often called the first press release (after a train wreck near Atlantic City) and a Declaration of Principles for honest publicity.
• In 1914, after the Ludlow Massacre, he was hired by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to repair the family's image.
• He did advise Bethlehem Steel. Wikipedia's article says he advised its executives to "list and number their top priorities every day, and work on tasks in the order of their importance" (citing secondary sources).
• The dark part. From the late 1920s he worked for the German chemical company I.G. Farben. He met Hitler in January 1934 and advised on Nazi Germany's image. Congress investigated him in 1934. He died on 8 November 1934. (Fortune, 2022, drawing on Scott Cutlip's history of PR.)

So the man was a PR pioneer, not a productivity consultant, and part of his career was spent polishing the image of a regime. That doesn't change whether the list works; it's context Journalwright Studio should know before printing his name.

The Schwab story, and how well it's sourced

The usual telling (James Clear's version): In 1918 Charles M. Schwab, "president of Bethlehem Steel", wanted his team to be more efficient. Ivy Lee asked for 15 minutes with each executive and explained the six-task rule. Asked his fee, Lee said to pay what it was worth after three months. After three months Schwab sent a cheque for $25,000 (about $400,000 in 2015 money).

Problems with it:

Verdict. Lee advising Bethlehem Steel executives to rank their priorities is plausible and widely repeated. The $25,000 cheque, the "15 minutes per executive", the three-month trial and the number six are unverified, and the story's details shift between versions. Treat it as a parable, like the equally unsourced "Warren Buffett 25/5 two lists" story. The method stands on its own.

Timeline

Cultural context

• Scientific management era. 1910s America was full of efficiency experts (Frederick Taylor, the Gilbreths). A consultant selling a one-page efficiency trick to a steel magnate fits the mood, which may be why the story sticks.
• 1960s–70s time management. Books like Mackenzie's and seminars by speakers such as Earl Nightingale told short, memorable business parables. Precision about sources wasn't the point.
• 2010s productivity blogging. The story came back in listicles and blog posts, often with the 1918 date and the $25,000 sum, usually without the sourcing caveat.

Key quotes

There are no reliable quotes from Lee about the method. The steps as usually quoted (from James Clear):

1. "At the end of each work day, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Do not write down more than six tasks."
2. "Prioritize those six items in order of their true importance."
3. "When you arrive tomorrow, concentrate only on the first task. Work until the first task is finished before moving on to the second task."
4. "Approach the rest of your list in the same fashion. At the end of the day, move any unfinished items to a new list of six tasks for the following day."
5. "Repeat this process every working day."

Schwab's supposed letter calling it the most valuable lesson "from a money standpoint" he had ever learned is part of the unverified story.

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4. Philosophy and principles

The problem it solves: starting the day not knowing what to do first, jumping between tasks, and long lists that never shrink.

Core principles (as modern writers explain it):

1. A hard limit. Six forces you to drop things. "Too many" is the enemy, not "too few".
2. Decide the night before. You choose calmly, not in the morning rush, and the list is waiting when you arrive.
3. Rank, then obey the rank. The choice of what to do next is made once, not 20 times a day.
4. Single-tasking. Do the first until it's done. No switching.
5. Carry-over without drama. Unfinished items simply go on tomorrow's list, re-ranked.
6. Every working day. It's a habit, not a project.

Clear's reasons it works: it's simple enough to use, it forces tough decisions, it removes the friction of starting, and it makes you single-task.

What it doesn't do: it has no goals layer, no weekly review, no calendar and no place for notes or feelings. It assumes you control your day.

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5. Core components

5.1 The list of six

• Six is a ceiling, not a target. Fewer is fine.
• Write tasks, not projects: "draft the intro" rather than "write report".
• Only things that matter. Routine chores and fixed appointments sit outside the list (or become one line: "admin hour").

5.2 Ranking

• "True importance" means consequence, not urgency or ease. Research on the mere urgency effect (Zhu, Yang & Hsee 2018) shows people drift toward urgent-looking, lower-value tasks, so ranking by importance on purpose matters.
• A quick test: "If I only get one done, which one?" That's #1. Repeat for the rest.

5.3 First-task focus

• Start on #1 before email, if you can.
• Don't touch #2 until #1 is done. If #1 is blocked (waiting on someone), note why and move to #2.

5.4 Sequential work

• Go down the list in order. Don't cherry-pick the easy ones.
• Interruptions still happen; return to the current number after them.

5.5 Carry-over

• At day's end, unfinished items go on tomorrow's list, re-ranked with new items.
• If something carries over three or more days, it's either too big (split it) or not really important (drop it).

5.6 Repetition

• The method's power is in doing it daily for weeks. One list changes little.

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6. Setting it up

First setup (5 minutes)

1. Get a pack of index cards or a small notebook. (A 3 × 5 in card fits six lines comfortably.)
2. Decide your end-of-work cue: last bus stop, clocking out, closing the laptop.
3. Put the card where you'll see it first thing: in your wallet, on your bag, by the kettle.
4. Optional: write a "someday" list on another card so things you drop have somewhere to go.

First day

1. At the end of work, brain-dump everything on your mind onto scrap paper.
2. Pick up to six that matter for tomorrow.
3. Rank them 1–6.
4. Copy them onto the card in order.
5. Stop thinking about work.

First week

• Day 1–2: expect to rank badly. That's fine.
• Day 3: notice what carried over. Was it too big? Split it.
• Day 4: try writing the list before leaving work, not at home.
• Day 5: look at the week's five cards. How often did #1 get done? That's the only number that matters early on.
• Weekend: no list, unless you like one.

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7. Daily practice

Prompts for the end-of-day list:

• What's the one thing that would make tomorrow count?
• What did I carry over, and is it still important?
• What's waiting on me that blocks someone else?
• What can I drop, delegate or put on "someday"?
• Is each item small enough to finish in one sitting?

Why evening, not morning? The method says end of day. Research on plan-making fits: making a specific plan reduced intrusive thoughts about unfinished tasks (Masicampo & Baumeister 2011), and writing a to-do list at bedtime helped people fall asleep faster (Scullin et al. 2018). Morning planning also works; the evening version just lets you close the day.

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8. Rhythms

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9. Page anatomy

Index card (3 × 5 in), the classic

+-------------------------------------------+
| TUE 13 OCT                                |
|-------------------------------------------|
| 1 [ ] ___________________________________ |
| 2 [ ] ___________________________________ |
| 3 [ ] ___________________________________ |
| 4 [ ] ___________________________________ |
| 5 [ ] ___________________________________ |
| 6 [ ] ___________________________________ |
|-------------------------------------------|
| carried: →                                |
+-------------------------------------------+

• Six ruled lines, each with a rank number and a box.
• A short "carried" line helps spot tasks that keep moving.

Notebook half-page version

+-----------------------------------------+
| TOMORROW (max 6, in order)   date _____ |
| #  task                       done moved |
| 1  __________________________  [ ]  [ ]  |
| 2  __________________________  [ ]  [ ]  |
| 3  __________________________  [ ]  [ ]  |
| 4  __________________________  [ ]  [ ]  |
| 5  __________________________  [ ]  [ ]  |
| 6  __________________________  [ ]  [ ]  |
|-----------------------------------------|
| someday / dropped: ____________________ |
+-----------------------------------------+

1-3-5 variant

+-----------------------------------------+
| 1 BIG      ____________________________ |
|-----------------------------------------|
| 3 MEDIUM   ____________________________ |
|            ____________________________ |
|            ____________________________ |
|-----------------------------------------|
| 5 SMALL    ______________  ____________ |
|            ______________  ____________ |
|            ______________               |
+-----------------------------------------+

MIT / Big 3 variant

+-----------------------------------------+
| MOST IMPORTANT (do first)               |
| 1 [ ] _________________________ (goal)  |
| 2 [ ] _________________________         |
| 3 [ ] _________________________         |
|-----------------------------------------|
| everything else ....................... |
+-----------------------------------------+

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10. Worked examples

A generic example, for someone who works outdoor shifts and has a few life-admin goals.

A day

List written Monday at 4:45 p.m., at the bus stop after shift:

TUE 13 OCT
1 [x] Call pharmacy: refill before Friday
2 [x] Email landlord about the heater (photos attached)
3 [/] Fill out the benefits form, pages 1–3   → blocked: need pay stub
4 [x] 20-minute walk before shift
5 [ ] Sort the donate bag
6 [ ] Text Jo about Saturday

End of Tuesday:

• 1, 2, 4 done. 3 blocked (pay stub is at work). 5 and 6 not reached.
• New list for Wednesday: pay stub first so 3 can move.

WED 14 OCT
1 [ ] Get pay stub from office at start of shift
2 [ ] Benefits form pages 1–3        (carried ×1)
3 [ ] Text Jo about Saturday         (carried ×1)
4 [ ] Walk 20 min
5 [ ] Sort the donate bag            (carried ×1)

(Five, not six: a long shift day.)

A week

       #1 done?   carried items   notes
MON    yes        2               long shift
TUE    yes        3               form blocked
WED    yes        1
THU    no         2               sick; list was "rest, meds, soup"
FRI    yes        0               cleared the donate bag at last
Done #1: 4 of 5 days. "Donate bag" carried 3 days → should have been split or dropped.

A month

The Ivy Lee method has no monthly layer. A useful add-on is a one-line monthly note:

OCTOBER
- #1 done on 17 of 21 workdays
- Things that kept carrying: paperwork (needs a set "admin hour" line)
- Best cue for writing the list: at the bus stop after shift
- Next month: max 5 on long-shift days; 3 on sick days

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11. Variations and offshoots

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12. Community practice

• Where it's discussed: productivity blogs, Medium posts, Reddit threads on to-do methods, and YouTube explainers. Almost all repeat James Clear's steps.
• What people actually do:
  • Use fewer than six, often three.
  • Keep the ranking but batch small tasks into one line ("admin: 3 emails, 1 call").
  • Write the list in the morning instead of the evening.
  • Keep a separate master list; the six are a daily slice of it.
  • Put the list on a sticky note on the laptop or phone case.
• Common customisation: a "carried ×n" count, a blocked marker, time estimates, and a gentler rule on sick days.
• Minimalist vs aesthetic: almost entirely minimalist. There's no Ivy Lee spread culture. Aesthetic users fold it into a bullet journal or planner as a "top 6" box.
• Criticism in the community: too rigid for reactive jobs; the story is suspect; six is arbitrary.

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13. Official products and formats

Not applicable. No one owns the method and there's no official product. Apps and planners that offer an "Ivy Lee" template are third-party (for example Todoist's productivity-methods pages and various planner apps).

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14. Tools and supplies

• Index cards (3 × 5 in): the classic. Small enough to force the limit; fits a pocket.
• Pen: any. A pencil works if you like re-ranking.
• Sticky notes: for a visible #1.
• Notebook: if you want a record of past lists.
• Paper weight: doesn't matter; one side only.
• No stickers, stamps or rulers needed.

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15. Digital and hybrid versions

• Apps: any to-do app with manual ordering (Todoist, Things, Microsoft To Do, Apple Reminders). Make a "Tomorrow" list, cap at six, drag to rank. Some apps sell "Ivy Lee" or "1-3-5" modes.
• Calendar: put #1 as a morning block.
• E-ink: a six-line template on reMarkable, Kindle Scribe or Boox works well; the list is short enough for a small screen. A daily template with six numbered lines is the simplest possible e-ink page.
• Scanning: not needed. A photo of the card is a record if you want one.
• Lost going digital: the physical limit (apps let you add a seventh item), the calm of a card with no notifications, and the "close the day" feeling of writing it by hand.
• Gained: automatic carry-over, reminders, sharing with a team.

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16. Evidence and research

No study has tested "six ranked tasks done in order" against another method. The evidence below supports parts of it.

Claimed versus supported:

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17. Benefits

• Know exactly what to do first. Evidenced in part (plan-making; urgency bias).
• Less evening work-rumination. Evidenced in part (Masicampo 2011; Scullin 2018).
• Less task switching. Evidenced in part (Leroy 2009).
• Realistic daily load. Claimed, consistent with the planning fallacy.
• Almost no setup and no cost. Obvious.
• Builds the skill of choosing. Claimed.
• A daily win when #1 is done. Claimed.

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18. Pitfalls

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19. Accessibility and adaptations

• ADHD: a strong fit for "what do I do now?" paralysis. Make #1 tiny and concrete. Add a time estimate and a start cue. Allow "interest-based" swaps. Use a sticky note in sight. Fewer than six helps.
• Autism and sensory needs: the fixed order and night-before decision reduce morning uncertainty. Keep the card format the same every day. Write a "what to do if #1 is blocked" rule in advance.
• Chronic illness and low spoons: number by energy as well as importance. Put a spoon cost by each item. Cap at 3 on flare days. Let rest be #1.
• Depression: keep the list very small; count one done as a win. Avoid tallying undone items.
• Anxiety: write the list at the end of work, then physically put it away. The Scullin and Masicampo results suggest it helps with letting go, but test whether evening planning helps or hurts you.
• Trauma: avoid framing unfinished items as failure; "moved" not "missed".
• Dyslexia and dysgraphia: one or two words per task; icons; dictate into a phone and copy the top three.
• Low vision: big card, thick marker, three lines not six.
• Motor or hand pain: pre-printed numbers and boxes; tick rather than write; a digital list with drag-to-rank.
• Trans and gender-diverse people: the list can hold transition admin (name-change forms, HRT refills, appointments) quietly, without labels. Keep the card private if needed.
• Shift workers: "end of workday" becomes "end of shift". On days off, skip it or use a home list. For nights, write the list before sleeping after the shift.
• Low income: free. Scrap paper works.

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20. Comparison

See full-focus-planner.md and bullet-journal.md.

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21. Combining

• With the Full Focus Planner (full-focus-planner.md): the Daily Big 3 is Ivy Lee with three slots. Use the "other tasks" list as Ivy Lee's #4–6, in order.
• With the Bullet Journal (bullet-journal.md): at the end of the daily log, number up to six open tasks for tomorrow. Migration and carry-over are the same move.
• With the Hobonichi Techo (hobonichi-techo.md) or Jibun Techo (jibun-techo.md): write the six in the top margin of tomorrow's page.
• With a five-year diary (five-year-diary.md): write "#1 done?" in the one-line entry; over years it shows patterns.
• With time blocking: give #1 the first protected block.
• With a care check-in: decide the list size from energy (spoons) first, then choose tasks.

(Sibling docs are being written in parallel; some links may resolve only once those land.)

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22. Ready-to-use bank

Headings

1. Tomorrow, in order
2. Six (or fewer)
3. First thing
4. Then
5. Carried
6. Blocked by
7. Someday / let go

End-of-day prompts

1. If only one thing gets done tomorrow, it's…
2. What did I carry today, and is it still worth it?
3. What's the smallest next step for my hardest item?
4. Who is waiting on me?
5. What can I drop without harm?
6. How many can I really do with my energy tomorrow: 1, 3 or 6?

Size and energy tags

1. S / M / L size letters (1-3-5 style)
2. Spoons per task (1–3)
3. Time guess in 15-minute bubbles
4. "Needs: phone / computer / outside / quiet"

Trackers

1. #1 done? (one box a day)
2. Carry count per item (tally marks)
3. List size chosen today (1–6)
4. Cue used to write the list (clock-out, bus, dinner)

Collections

1. Someday list
2. Waiting-on list (who, what, since)
3. Sick-day list (three care tasks that always count)
4. "Done anyway" list: things that got done that weren't on the card

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23. Glossary

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24. FAQ

1. Why six? No one knows. It's the number in the story. Three (MITs, Big 3) and nine (1-3-5) are just as common. Choose the number you can actually finish most days.
2. Is the Schwab story true? Unverified. The first known printed versions are decades later, the details vary, and Schwab wasn't Bethlehem Steel's president in 1918. Lee did work for Bethlehem, so a real kernel is possible.
3. Evening or morning? The method says evening. Evidence on plan-making and bedtime lists leans evening. If evening planning keeps you up, plan at the end of work, not in bed.
4. What about meetings? They live on your calendar. The list is what you do in the gaps.
5. What if #1 is blocked? Note why, do what unblocks it (an email, a call), then move to #2.
6. Can I reorder during the day? The strict version says no. A gentle version allows one swap for a real reason (blocked, energy).
7. What if I finish all six? Stop, or pull the next item from your master list. Many people say finishing early is itself a good sign the list was right-sized.
8. Does it work for home life? Yes, for chores and admin. For caregiving or reactive days, use a shorter list.
9. Isn't this just a to-do list? It's a to-do list with three extra rules: a cap, a rank and a strict order.
10. Should I worry about Ivy Lee's history? It's worth knowing: he later did PR for I.G. Farben and Nazi Germany. You can use the method without honouring the man; Journalwright Studio can call it "Six, in order".

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25. For Journalwright Studio

Journalwright Studio makes printed journals and planners designed in a block editor, with an optional e-ink companion (the X4 companion). This section turns the research above into day page blocks, X4 items and a method layout.

The method is a small, calm block, and the editor almost has it: Top priorities (top) prints numbered lines (1–6, default 3), with optional 15-minute time circles, "Guess / took" columns and a "carried" tick column. What's missing is the "in order" framing as a ready-made preset and a night-before placement.

a. Printed book

b. X4 companion

c. Editor blocks

Raising top's maximum from 5 to 6 was the only change needed for the classic method, and it kept the default (3), so default builds don't drift.

d. Proposed method layout: "Six in order" (Ivy Lee)

This layout is not among the built-in method layouts yet (today: original, Bullet Journal daily, Hobonichi, Five Minute, Theme System). Ordered blocks for one click:

1. sky (Moon, sun and season): small date anchor
2. events (Events)
3. checks "First thing": ["#1 done"]
4. timeline or shift (Work shift), depending on the day type
5. body (Writing space, lines): takes the rest
6. top "Tomorrow, in order": n 6, carried column on, printed at the bottom so it's the last thing written

Care check-in and Spoons stay optional, and pair well: decide list size from spoons.

e. Don't adopt

• The $25,000 story as fact. It's unverified; if told at all, say so.
• Ivy Lee's name as the block label. He later did PR for Nazi Germany. Use "Six, in order" or "Tomorrow, in order".
• Strict "no reordering ever". Too rigid for shift work and variable energy. Allow a swap.
• A fixed six. Let the number vary (1–6), with 3 as the default.
• Counts of undone tasks or carry streaks on the X4. Pressure; drifts toward badges.
• Countdown or productivity scores. Against calm design.

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26. Open questions

• The earliest printed version of the story. Clear found the 1960s; MetaFilter points to 1972. The exact first source (book, article, speech) wasn't found.
• What Cutlip actually says on pp. 118–119 of The Unseen Power about Lee and Schwab, and what his source was.
• Whether "six" is original or a later detail.
• Earl Nightingale's role. Several blogs say he popularised it, some with Carnegie. No recording or transcript was checked.
• Direct tests. No study compares a capped, ranked list with an open list over weeks, or checks the best number of items.
• Evening versus morning planning for anxious people: Scullin's sample was healthy young adults.
• The Zeigarnik question. If the memory effect doesn't hold, which part of "open loops" actually drives the benefit of plan-making? Masicampo's intrusion measures still stand, but they're from one lab.

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27. Further reading

• James Clear, "The Ivy Lee Method" (jamesclear.com). The modern source for the steps, with a sourcing caveat.
• **Scott M. Cutlip, The Unseen Power: Public Relations, A History (1994).** The scholarly history of Lee's career, including Bethlehem Steel and I.G. Farben.
• Jim Edwards, "The dark history behind the executive to-do list" (Fortune, 2022). Lee's Nazi-era work set against the legend.
• Masicampo & Baumeister, "Consider It Done!" (2011). The key paper on why writing a plan quiets the mind.
• Scullin et al. (2018). The bedtime to-do list sleep study.
• Ghibellini & Meier (2025). The meta-analysis that retires the Zeigarnik memory claim.
• Leo Babauta, "Purpose Your Day: Most Important Task" (Zen Habits). Three MITs, done first.
• The Muse, "A Better To-Do List: The 1-3-5 Rule". Sizing tasks instead of ranking them.
• Cal Newport, "Drastically Reduce Stress with a Work Shutdown Ritual" (2009). End-of-day closing, with a phrase.
• Sophie Leroy, "Why Is It So Hard to Do My Work?" (2009). Attention residue and why finishing before switching matters.

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28. Sources

All checked 2026-09-28. Each was opened once.

1. James Clear, "The Ivy Lee Method: The Daily Routine Experts Recommend for Peak Productivity". https://jamesclear.com/ivy-lee
2. "Ivy Lee". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Lee
3. Jim Edwards, "The dark history behind the executive to-do list" (1 Sep 2022). Fortune. https://fortune.com/2022/09/01/dark-history-executive-to-do-list-productivity-history-jim-edwards/
4. "A man and his list" (2 Jul 2005). Ask MetaFilter. https://ask.metafilter.com/20667/A-man-and-his-list
5. "Charles M. Schwab". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_M._Schwab
6. "Eugene Grace". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Grace
7. E. J. Masicampo & R. F. Baumeister, "Consider It Done! Plan Making Can Eliminate the Cognitive Effects of Unfulfilled Goals" (2011). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 101, 667–683. doi:10.1037/a0024192. https://users.wfu.edu/masicaej/MasicampoBaumeister2011JPSP.pdf
8. "Can writing your 'to-do's' help you to doze?" (11 Jan 2018), on Scullin et al. 2018. ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180111224021.htm
9. "The Effects of Bedtime Writing" (2018). Keller Center for Research, Baylor University. https://kellercenter.hankamer.baylor.edu/news/story/2018/effects-bedtime-writing
10. P. M. Gollwitzer & P. Sheeran, "Implementation intentions and goal achievement: a meta-analysis of effects and processes" (2006). Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 38, 69–119. KOPS, University of Konstanz. https://kops.uni-konstanz.de/handle/123456789/10973
11. R. Ghibellini & B. Meier, "Interruption, recall and resumption: a meta-analysis of the Zeigarnik and Ovsiankina effects" (2025). Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. doi:10.1057/s41599-025-05000-w. Mendeley catalogue. https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/3e06bd6a-053c-356f-aed0-524bb30b28cc/
12. "Zeigarnik effect". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeigarnik_effect
13. "Planning fallacy" (on Buehler, Griffin & Ross 1994). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning_fallacy
14. M. Zhu, Y. Yang & C. K. Hsee, "The Mere Urgency Effect" (Oct 2018). Journal of Consumer Research 45(3), 673–690. https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article-abstract/45/3/673/4847790
15. S. Leroy, "Why is it so hard to do my work? The challenge of attention residue when switching between work tasks" (2009). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 109(2), 168–181. RePEc/IDEAS. https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jobhdp/v109y2009i2p168-181.html
16. The Muse Editors, "A Better To-Do List: The 1-3-5 Rule" (updated 19 Jun 2020). The Muse. https://www.themuse.com/advice/a-better-todo-list-the-135-rule
17. "The 1-3-5 Method". Todoist. https://www.todoist.com/productivity-methods/1-3-5-method
18. Leo Babauta, "Purpose Your Day: Most Important Task (MIT)". Zen Habits. https://zenhabits.net/purpose-your-day-most-important-task/
19. Michael Hyatt, "The Key to a More Productive Day" (12 Jul 2021). Full Focus. https://fullfocus.co/the-key-to-a-more-productive-day/
20. Cal Newport, "Drastically Reduce Stress with a Work Shutdown Ritual" (8 Jun 2009). https://calnewport.com/drastically-reduce-stress-with-a-work-shutdown-ritual/
21. Alex Hyett, "Warren Buffett's 5/25 Rule is a Fake" (23 Jan 2023). https://www.alexhyett.com/5-25-rule/