{"id":15794,"date":"2016-05-11T15:54:24","date_gmt":"2016-05-11T22:54:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/becomingblog.wpengine.com\/?p=15794"},"modified":"2020-09-10T14:38:55","modified_gmt":"2020-09-10T21:38:55","slug":"to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Accomplish More with a 3-Item To Do List"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15795\" src=\"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/3-item-to-do-list.jpg\" alt=\"The 3-Item To Do List is as simple and profound as it sounds.\" width=\"600\" height=\"290\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/pinterest-get-more-done-today.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/3-item-to-do-list.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/3-item-to-do-list-300x145.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>First, let me give credit where credit is due. It was <a href=\"http:\/\/melissacamarawilkins.com\">Melissa Camara Wilkins<\/a> who first introduced me to the 3-Item To Do List.<\/p>\n<p>I have used it ever since. And I&#8217;d love to recommend it to you.<\/p>\n<p>For most of my life, I was\u00a0the person with a mile long to-do list next to me at all times, often carrying over from day-to-day and week-to-week. But no longer.<\/p>\n<p>For the past several months, I have been using a 3-Item To Do List exclusively\u2014and I have found it to increase my productivity and work satisfaction significantly.<\/p>\n<p>The 3-Item To Do List is as simple and profound as it sounds. At the beginning of each day, I take time to identify and articulate the three most important items for me to accomplish.<\/p>\n<p>For example, my To Do List for today consists of these three items:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Write a blog post for Becoming Minimalist<\/li>\n<li>Set agenda for our next <a href=\"http:\/\/hopeeffect.com\">Hope Effect<\/a> Board of Directors&#8217; Meeting<\/li>\n<li>Put final touches on an article pitch for a major publication<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>That&#8217;s it! Three items\u2014all significant, all important, all entirely manageable.<\/p>\n<p>Now, almost certainly, \u00a0there are other work-related things I will do today: post to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/becomingminimalist\">Facebook<\/a>, answer e-mail, text a peer. But my three main identified projects will always take precedence.<\/p>\n<p>The short list approach keeps me focused on the most important tasks I need to accomplish.<\/p>\n<p>But I have found other benefits as well. The shorter\u00a0list\u00a0keeps me from feeling overwhelmed. The shorter list also\u00a0helps me overcome procrastination\u2014the finish line is always in sight.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, and equally important, the 3-Item List provides a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. This benefit is the main one that Melissa articulates\u2014she even refers to\u00a0it\u00a0as an &#8220;<em>Enough List<\/em>.&#8221; When the list is completed, there is a sense of finality.\u00a0She says it like this:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Now instead of ending each day feeling like I\u2019ve fallen behind, I have a built-in sense of accomplishment in the evenings. I finished my three things! I did what mattered most!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The importance of identifying the three most important things to accomplish in a day is revolutionary regardless of where you apply it. It is a helpful productivity hack at work. It can be used equally well by a stay-at-home mom or dad. It can be uniquely tailored for a hobby or side-business.<\/p>\n<p>In order to accomplish\u00a0our most important tasks, it is essential to remain focused on them. The 3-Item To Do List accomplishes that <em>and<\/em>\u00a0requires you to identify them anew each morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First, let me give credit where credit is due. It was Melissa Camara Wilkins who first introduced me to the 3-Item To Do List. I have used it ever since. And I&#8217;d love to recommend it to you. For most of my life, I was\u00a0the person with a mile long to-do list next to me [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[440],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Accomplish More with a 3-Item To Do List<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.becomingminimalist.com\/to-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Accomplish More with a 3-Item To Do List\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"First, let me give credit where credit is due. It was Melissa Camara Wilkins who first introduced me to the 3-Item To Do List. I have used it ever since. And I&#8217;d love to recommend it to you. 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