Instead of a To-List, Use a To-Do Grid

By Dee Jones


Have you ever heard of the 1-3-5 technique?

Well the gist is that, when you make up your to-do list each day, you include:

• 1 large task.
• 3 medium-sized tasks.
• 5 small tasks.

I’ve come across this method (and many variations) several times. And, while I’d used it with success, it didn’t really stick with me.

Then I came across a post that changed my perspective on this technique. Now, not only do I use it successfully, I actually *enjoy* using it. And the time management techniques you actually enjoy using are the ones most like to help you get more done.

The post was written by Monica Leonelle, a fiction writer who has made a hobby (or so it seems) out of finding ways to increase her productivity, and get more writing done. She’s written several books, blog posts and articles on the subject, most of them geared specifically towards helping writers become more productive.

But you don’t have to be a writer to use her techniques. Or appreciate her perspective on time management.

In a blog post called The Simplest Way I’ve Found to Get More Writing Done, Leonelle explain how she uses the 1-3-5 technique, along with the Pomodoro Method, to get stuff done.

Every morning, she draws a grid on a 4-inch X 6-inch index card. The grid consists of 9 boxes of various sizes.

• In the biggest box, she writes a big task that will take up to two hours (or four Pomodoros) to complete. 
• In the three medium-sized boxes, she writes tasks that will take about twenty-five minutes (or one Pomodoro each) to complete.
• The five small boxes are for those small, 5-minute tasks that need to get done but can fall through the cracks on a busy day.

Her goal for the day is to complete those nine tasks (five of which will only take five minutes). And that’s it. Once those tasks are done, she calls it a day and puts a check-mark in the “win” column.

Like I said above, I’ve seen versions of this technique before. But, for some reason, Leonelle’s explanation of it made the technique appeal to me in a way it really hadn’t before. Maybe the grid appeals to my artistic side. Or maybe it’s the way she explained the method that did the trick. Or maybe it's because she combined it with the Pomodoro Method,  a time management technique I'm very familiar with (no surprise considering how much I use it) that I know works.

Whatever the reason, I started using her technique the day I found the article. In fact, I’d barely finished reading it before I was drawing up my own “to-do grid.” And I was thrilled by how well my to-do grid actually worked.

If you’re getting a little bored with your daily to-do list, give this fun alternative a try.

Get Things Finished with the Three Task Method

By Dee Jones

A while back I wrote about SMEMA, a time management technique created by Mark Forster.

The idea of SMEMA was pretty simple.

1. You write down three things you want to do in the order you want to do them in.

2. You work on the first thing on your list for as long as you feel like it, and then cross it off.

3. You work on the second thing on your list for as long as you feel like it, and then cross it off.

4. You add two new items to the list. These can be the things you were working on before, or two entirely different things. You can even add fun things to the list, like spending time on YouTube, or watching your favorite TV show.

5. Repeat steps two through four indefinitely. (Or for as long as you feel like working on the list that day.)

SMEMA (which stands for ““The Simplest and Most Effective Method of All”) is definitely simple. It’s also effective, as I know from personal experience.  Using SMEMA will definitely help you get some work done on a lot of the project and tasks on your to-do list. But SMEMA won’t necessarily help you get things *finished.*

Luckily, Forster created a similar technique where the focus is on completing your projects and tasks. It’s called the Three Task Method.

The Three Task Method (or 3T, for short) is actually pretty similar to SMEMA. In fact, here’s how 3T works in a nutshell.

1. You write down three things you want to do in the order you want to do them in.

2. You work on the first thing on your list for as long as you feel like it, and then cross it off. And then you reenter this first task to the bottom of the list.

3. You work on the second thing on your list for as long as you feel like it, and then cross it off. And then you reenter this second task to the bottom of the list.

4. You work on the third thing on your list for as long as you feel like it, and then cross it off. And then you reenter this third task to the bottom of the list.

5. When you finish a task, cross it off the list without reentering it.

6. When you’ve completed two of the tasks on your list, you add two new tasks to the bottom of the list.

7. Repeat steps two through six indefinitely. (Or for as long as you feel like working on the list that day.)

I admit that 3T isn’t quite as fun as SMEMA. But if you really want to focus on finishing some of the tasks on your to-do list, the Three Task Method might be just what you need.

How to Get the Most Out of Time Management Tips

by Dee Jones


I love time management tips. And when I find a list of ten, twenty, or fifty time management tips, I feel like I’m on cloud nine. With all of those tips, there has to be something on there that will help me be even more productive.

But as much as I love those long lists, I also know they have their downsides.

It’s like being at a buffet. Everything looks so good, and you want to try it all. So you get a little of this, and a little of that. Problem is that you have so little of everything that you can’t truly savor any one thing.

And if you try to adopt too many of the time management tips on a long, tempting list, chances are you won’t get the full benefits of any one method.

This is why I put a few guidelines in place for when I come across one of those big lists of tips.

Just One

First, I can only try one tip at a time.

Just one.

So I look over the list and try to pick the tip that I find most interesting. Which tip do I think will help me the most? Which one sends an enthusiastic shiver up my spine? (I believe a time management method has a better chance of working for you if you’re excited about using it.)

Give It Time

Once I pick one tip, I commit to it. And until I get used to utilizing this new method (or I decide it just isn’t for me and abandon it), I don’t add anything new to my time management system.

Like a new skill, a new time management method will take practice to learn. Just because a method doesn’t work all that well for me at first doesn’t mean it never will. So I give myself time to get used to the method. For something simple, that can take just a week or two. For something more complex, it can take a month or more.

Only when I feel I’ve gotten the hang of using one tip do I consider adopting another. 


When you come across a big list of time management tips, it’s natural to want to try several things on the list. But don’t. Instead, pick just one tip to give a test drive.

And save that list. Because once you get the hang of using the first tip, it’ll be time to choose another.


If you wrote an article about your favorite time management tips, which ones would be on your list?

Get More Done with SMEMA

By Dee Jones


Yep, it’s time to talk about Mark Forster again.

I feel like I’ve written a lot about Forster on this blog. But I have good reason. For one, Forster is the author of Get Everything Done and Still Have Time to Play, which some consider one of the best time management books ever written.

Forster has also created many of other time management systems and techniques, some of which he’s shared on his blog for free.

And one of them is SMEMA.

SMEMA is an acronym that stands for “The Simplest and Most Effective Method of All.” Whether SMEMA is actually the simplest time management method ever created might be up for debate. But it’s definitely one of the simplest I’ve come across. (And, if you read my blog, you know that I’ve come across quite a few.)

So, what is SMEMA all about?

Well, as Forster wrote in a blog post about the method:

The older I get the more I think that I actually know what I should be doing all along, and all the time management systems and prioritising, visioning, and so forth are just ways of avoiding doing the things I know in my heart I should be getting on with.

Forster suggests that you forget about making lists, prioritizing to-dos, setting weekly/monthly/yearly goals, and all of the other things we do to try to better manage our time. Instead, just focus on doing the things you already know you should be doing.

Of course, part of the point of time management is trying to figure out what we should be doing. But Forster believes you already know, on some level, what you need to be doing. But that knowledge can get lost in the “noise” of your busy life...and your mile-long to-do list.

SMEMA helps you quiet the noise, pinpoint the things you need to be doing, and get them done.

How?

Here are the basic SMEMA instructions.

1. Make a list of three tasks you want to get done, in the order you want to do them in.
2. Do the first task on your list, and then cross it out.
3. Do the second task on your list, and then cross it out.
4. Add two new tasks to your list, so you’re back up to three tasks.
5. Keep repeating the cycle, completing two tasks and then adding two new ones.

And that’s it.

If you’ve ever had trouble remembering the steps of a time management method, you’ll love SMEMA. It’s as simple as the name claims.

I think SMEMA is great for those days when you feel overwhelmed by your to-do list, and all the things you have to get done by the end of the day. Focusing on just three tasks at a time, and forgetting everything else, will help you feel calm and in control. You’ll stop worrying about everything you have to do, and just get stuff done.

Forster goes into SMEMA in more detail on his blog. He also offers a few tips to help you get the most out of this simple technique.

Original SMEMA Instructions and FAQ

If you want to try something new (or you just want a break from your to-do list) give SMEMA a try. I bet you’ll be surprised by how effective it is.

Have you tried SMEMA? Or have you tried any of Mark Forster's other time management methods? If so, which ones worked best for you?