The Ivy Lee method with a simple to do list

The Ivy Lee method is one of the oldest productivity routines still in use, and one of the plainest. Each evening you write down the six most important things for tomorrow, put them in order, and then work through them one at a time. That is nearly all of it, which is exactly why it keeps working.

The method, step by step

As it is usually described, the Ivy Lee method has five steps:

1. At the end of the day, write down the most important things to do tomorrow. No more than six.
2. Put them in order of real importance. The first is the one that matters most.
3. The next day, start with the first task and stay on it until it is done. Only then move to the second.
4. Work through the rest the same way. At the end of the day, move anything unfinished to the next day's list of six.
5. Repeat every working day.

There is no software required, no scoring and no categories. A short list, an order, and a promise to yourself about focus.

Where it came from

The method is named after Ivy Lee, a consultant often described as a pioneer of public relations. The story commonly told is that Charles M. Schwab, then running Bethlehem Steel, asked Lee for a way to get more done, and Lee gave his executives this routine. The details of the story vary between tellings, and it is best treated as a well-worn anecdote rather than a documented case study. The routine itself is the useful part.

Why it works

It works because of its limits, not its structure.

• Six forces choices. You cannot put everything on the list, so you have to decide what actually matters.
• Deciding the night before removes the morning scramble. You start the day already knowing the first thing.
• One at a time stops the switching. Hopping between half-done tasks feels busy and gets little finished.
• Carrying over is honest. Unfinished work does not vanish. It competes for a place on tomorrow's list.

Running it with a simple to do list

You do not need a special template for it. A plain list with a star and a checkbox does the job well. Here is one way to set it up.

1. Keep everything on the list as usual. Your list holds all your todos, not just the six.
2. In the evening, star tomorrow's six. Starred todos sit at the top, so they become tomorrow's working list.
3. Decide the order. The star brings the six to the top but does not number them. Six is a small enough number to keep in your head, or you can star only the first one in the morning and star the next as each is done.
4. Use the star filter during the day. Show only the starred todos, so the rest of the list stays out of sight.
5. Check them off one at a time. Each tick removes a todo from the open list, and the next one moves up.
6. In the evening, unstar what is left or keep it starred. Then star new todos until you are back to six.

The star does the work of the paper list, and the check-off does the work of crossing out. Nothing else is needed.

When six is too many

Six is a ceiling, not a target. Some days hold one big thing that takes the whole day, like moving house or a long drive. On those days, star one todo and call it a full list.

If you regularly carry over four or five tasks, the list is telling you something. Either the tasks are too big, or six is too many for your days. Try three for a week. A list you finish is more motivating than a list you drag forward.

The opposite happens too. If you finish your six by lunch, the tasks may be too small to count as the most important. Look for the one you keep avoiding and put it first tomorrow.

Common mistakes

• Picking easy tasks to feel productive. The method asks for the most important, not the most tickable.
• Writing projects instead of tasks. "Finish the report" may not fit in a day. "Write the report's introduction" does.
• Skipping the evening step. Planning in the morning works for some people, but deciding the night before is the heart of the method.
• Letting the whole list creep into view. The rest of your todos still exist. They just are not today's six.

Keeping the rest of the list healthy

The method only covers the six. Your wider list still needs the usual care: one thing per todo, a verb at the start, and a regular clear-out of things you will not do. The guide on a minimalist to do list covers that side of it.

If you use an AI assistant, it can help with the evening step too. Ask it to read your open todos and suggest six for tomorrow, then decide the final list yourself. The choosing is the part the method is built around.

Try it for a week

Five working days is enough to know whether the Ivy Lee method suits you. Star six each evening. Work the first one first. Carry over honestly. See how the week feels.

If you want a quiet place to run it, Very Simple Todo is a simple to do list app with a star for the todos that matter today, a star filter to see only those, a big checkbox to tick them off, and no reminders in the way. It costs $0.99 a month, and the first month is free.