Ivy Lee Method for Multiple Jobs: Prioritize Daily Tasks with Foco

The Ivy Lee method is a classic productivity technique that helps you focus on what matters most each day. It involves selecting just six priority tasks the night before, ranking them by importance, and executing them in order without distractions. However, when you manage multiple jobs at once (clients, personal projects, or small teams), applying this method can become chaotic. How do you avoid mixing tasks from different projects or losing track of what’s urgent for each one? This is where Foco comes in, adapting the Ivy Lee method for those who need to prioritize daily tasks without losing sight of each project’s context.

What the Ivy Lee Method Is and Why It Fails with Multiple Jobs

The Ivy Lee method is based on three steps: at the end of the day, you write down the six most important tasks for the next day, rank them from highest to lowest priority, and the following day, you execute them in that order, moving to the next only after completing the previous one. Its simplicity is its greatest strength, but also its limitation when working on multiple fronts. If you use a generic list (like a notepad or spreadsheet), tasks from different jobs get mixed up, you lose the context of each project, and it’s easy to fall into multitasking. Additionally, the method doesn’t account for how to handle recurring tasks, shared deadlines, or unexpected issues that arise in one job but affect others.

How to Adapt the Ivy Lee Method for Multiple Jobs with Foco

• Create a workspace for each project or client in Foco: assign it a unique name and color. For example, «Client A» in blue, «Personal Project» in green, or «Internal Team» in red. Each task will carry its workspace’s color, allowing you to instantly identify which project it belongs to, even in Panorama mode (where you see all tasks together).
• The night before, use Panorama mode to review all your pending tasks. Select the six most important ones for the next day, regardless of which workspace they belong to. If a task is recurring (like a weekly client meeting), Foco will automatically generate it when completed, so you don’t forget it in future days.
• Rank the six tasks by priority using Foco’s «Priority» field: mark urgent or important tasks with visual indicators (red for urgent, yellow for important). In List view, tasks appear grouped by date and priority, helping you see which ones should come first.
• The next day, enter Foco mode for each workspace to execute tasks in order. This mode filters the board and only shows tasks from the selected workspace, eliminating distractions from other projects. If a task requires focus, use Kanban view to move it to the «Doing» column and block time in your calendar (Foco syncs with Google Calendar or Outlook to display external events alongside your tasks).
• If an unexpected task arises, use voice capture to dictate it: Foco will transcribe the text and automatically detect dates, priorities, or reminders. With the Burst feature (available in the Plus plan), you can dictate multiple tasks in a row, and Foco will separate them in real time, saving you from creating each one manually.
• At the end of the day, review completed tasks in the «Done» section of List view. If any of the six priority tasks remain pending, drag it to the next day with a click. Recurring tasks will already be ready for the next cycle, without needing to rewrite them.

Why Foco Outperforms Generic Alternatives for the Ivy Lee Method

If you use note-taking apps or spreadsheets to apply the Ivy Lee method with multiple jobs, you’ll face key limitations. In a generic list, tasks from different projects get mixed without visual context, making it hard to prioritize between them. There’s also no way to filter by workspace, assign responsibilities, or attach specific notes (like meeting transcriptions or voice reminders). Foco solves this with independent workspaces, project-specific colors, and adaptable views: in Panorama, you see everything together, but in Foco mode, you focus on one workspace without losing sight of the rest. Syncing with external calendars and task collaboration also prevent you from jumping between tools to manage deadlines or teams.

Common Mistakes When Using the Ivy Lee Method with Multiple Jobs (and How to Avoid Them)

• Choosing tasks from just one workspace: the Ivy Lee method works best when the six priority tasks cover all your projects. Use Foco’s Panorama mode to balance the workload and avoid neglecting any front.
• Ignoring recurring tasks: if a task repeats (like sending a weekly report), set it as recurring in Foco so it generates automatically. This way, you won’t forget it in future cycles of the method.
• Not adjusting priorities: if an urgent task appears during the day, use Foco’s «Priority» field to reorder your list without losing focus. List view lets you see what’s left pending and what you should postpone.
• Mixing contexts: if you’re working on a project that requires focus, use Foco mode to isolate its tasks. If you need to see everything at once, switch back to Panorama mode, but avoid constantly shifting contexts.