Ivy Lee method for prioritizing tasks: how to master your daily list without stress

The Ivy Lee method for prioritizing tasks is one of the simplest and most effective techniques for managing time, especially when juggling multiple jobs, clients, or projects. Created in 1918 by consultant Ivy Lee to improve the productivity of Bethlehem Steel executives, this method is based on the premise that less is more: focusing on what’s essential each day, without distractions or endless to-do lists. If you feel overwhelmed by meetings, deadlines, and urgent tasks, this method could be the solution you need to regain control of your day.

What is the Ivy Lee method for prioritizing tasks?

The Ivy Lee method is a prioritization system that boils down to six basic steps. Its goal isn’t just to organize your day but to train your mind to distinguish what’s important from what’s secondary. Unlike other techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix or time-blocking, the Ivy Lee method doesn’t require complex tools or exhaustive analysis—just a piece of paper, a pen, and five minutes at the end of each day. The key lies in simplicity and the discipline to follow the process without exceptions.

• At the end of the day, write down the six most important tasks you need to complete the next day. No more than six.
• Rank these tasks by true priority, not urgency or personal preference. Ask yourself: Which task, if left undone, will have the biggest negative impact?
• The next day, focus on the first task on the list and don’t move to the next until it’s finished.
• If you don’t complete all the tasks by the end of the day, move the pending ones to the next day’s list, but never add more than six in total.
• Repeat the process every evening, adjusting priorities based on changes in your projects or deadlines.
• At the end of the week, review which tasks kept reappearing without being completed and assess whether they’re truly necessary or if you should delegate, postpone, or eliminate them.

Why the Ivy Lee method works in environments with multiple jobs

Working with multiple clients, projects, or parallel responsibilities often leads to two common problems: task overload and difficulty deciding where to start. The Ivy Lee method for prioritizing tasks solves both by imposing a strict limit (six tasks per day) and a clear order. This is especially useful when:

• You have overlapping deadlines: for example, a report for Client A due on Wednesday and a presentation for Client B due on Thursday. The method forces you to define which one requires immediate attention, preventing you from working on both halfway.
• You receive constant requests: in freelance or consulting environments, it’s easy for clients or managers to add urgent tasks to your list. With the Ivy Lee method, you can only include a new task if you remove one of the six, giving you an automatic filter to say 'no' or negotiate deadlines.
• You waste time deciding what to do: when you have 20 pending tasks, choosing where to start drains mental energy. The Ivy Lee method eliminates that decision by giving you a pre-ordered list every morning.

Practical example: applying the Ivy Lee method with three different clients

Imagine you’re a graphic designer managing three projects today: a logo redesign for Client X (due Friday), an infographic for Client Y (due tomorrow), and an email review for Client Z (no fixed deadline). At the end of the day, your list of six priority tasks might look like this:

• Finalize and send the infographic to Client Y (due tomorrow).
• Send three logo options to Client X (to make progress before Friday).
• Review and respond to pending emails from Client Z (to clear mental space).
• Block two hours to work on Client X’s logo (without interruptions).
• Prepare a follow-up template for Client Y (to streamline future deliveries).
• Update your portfolio with the latest completed project (a maintenance task, not urgent but important).

The next day, you start with Client Y’s infographic. Even if Client Z sends an urgent email mid-morning, you don’t add it to your list until the end of the day, when you review priorities for the next day. If you don’t finish updating your portfolio, you move it to the next day’s list—but only if it’s still relevant. This approach lets you make progress on all your projects without feeling like you’re constantly putting out fires.

Common mistakes when using the Ivy Lee method (and how to avoid them)

While the Ivy Lee method for prioritizing tasks is simple, it’s easy to fall into traps that reduce its effectiveness. Here are the most common mistakes and how to fix them:

• Including more than six tasks: the six-task limit isn’t arbitrary. If you add more, your brain will feel overwhelmed again. If a seventh task is truly urgent, remove one of the six existing tasks or postpone it.
• Prioritizing by urgency, not impact: it’s tempting to put the task with the closest deadline first, but it’s not always the most important. Ask yourself: Which task, if left undone, will most affect my long-term goals?
• Not reviewing tasks at the end of the day: if you don’t update your list daily, you lose flexibility to adapt to changes. Spend five minutes every evening reordering priorities.
• Allowing interruptions: the Ivy Lee method requires focus on one task at a time. Use tools like 'Do Not Disturb' mode on your phone or block time slots in your calendar to avoid distractions.
• Ignoring recurring tasks: if there are activities that repeat weekly (like invoicing or meetings), include them in your six-task list only when they’re truly priorities. Otherwise, assign them a fixed slot in your schedule.

How to implement the Ivy Lee method in Foco for managing multiple jobs

The Ivy Lee method for prioritizing tasks can be easily adapted to digital tools like Foco, especially if you manage multiple jobs or clients. In Foco, each job (e.g., 'Client A', 'Project B', or 'Personal tasks') has its own container with a distinct color, allowing you to quickly see which tasks belong to each area. To apply the Ivy Lee method in Foco, follow these steps:

• At the end of the day, open Panorama mode to see all your pending tasks in one view, each with the color of its corresponding job. This helps you quickly identify which tasks are priorities in each area.
• Select the six most important tasks for the next day, regardless of which job they belong to. Use the priority field (normal, important, urgent) to mark and order them by impact.
• If a task is recurring (like a weekly meeting or a monthly report), set it up with the recurrence option so it’s automatically generated in your list. This way, you won’t have to remember it every day.
• The next day, enter the Focus mode for each job to concentrate on tasks from one client or project at a time. For example, if your first priority task is for 'Client X', filter only that job to avoid distractions from other projects.
• Use the List view to group your six priority tasks in the 'Today' section. If a task has a due date, Foco will automatically show it on the corresponding day, but you decide whether it’s one of your six priorities or not.
• If you receive a new urgent task during the day, use voice capture to dictate it quickly. Foco will transcribe the text and automatically detect the date, time, or recurrence, creating the task with the attached audio. Then, decide whether this new task replaces one of your six priorities or if it should wait until the next day.

Foco also lets you attach notes to each task, which is useful for the Ivy Lee method. For example, if one of your six tasks is 'Prepare proposal for Client Y', you can add a note with key points to include or a reminder of deadlines. If you work in a team, assign tasks to other members of the job and use collaboration features to keep everyone aligned without leaving the app. At the end of the day, review your six tasks in Panorama mode and adjust priorities for the next day, moving pending tasks to the appropriate section.