What is the Ivy Lee Productivity Method (and how can it help?)
The Ivy Lee method is a productivity strategy that was invented over 100 years by productivity consultant and PR guru Ivy Lee. It’s an incredibly simple but effective strategy that can be utilized to help you boost your productivity.
Ivy Lee was a gifted?public relations expert?known for his work with the Rockefeller family. He is also said to have used his strategy to help Charles M. Schwab when he worked as president of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Apparently, Ivy Lee was drafted by Schwab to increase the productivity of his workers. Lee asked for just 15 minutes of their time, promising that he wouldn’t take payment unless his methods worked.
After several months, there was a huge uptick in productivity and Lee collected a sizeable check, one that is worth around $400,000 today — not bad for 15 minutes of work.
So, what is the Ivy Lee strategy, how does it work, and can it benefit you?
The following steps will show you how to implement the Ivy Lee method.
Step One: Write Down Six Tasks
Before you finish your day, write down the 6 most important tasks that you have to complete tomorrow. You only need 6 and should always have 6.
Photo by?Dawid Zawi?a?on?Unsplash
For instance, if you have the following tasks…
…then your list of 6 may look something like this:
The rest are not important right now. They don’t have priority and so they can be left.
In the beginning, you might struggle to remember the jobs that need to be done. Over time, however, you’ll get into a rhythm and will know exactly what needs to be done and where those jobs are in your priority list.
You should still use to-do lists, appointment reminders, and calendars as you still need to remember the jobs when they come in. But when it comes to actually completing them, just refer to your Ivy Lee list.
Step Two: Prioritize Your 6 Items
When you have your 6 tasks, prioritize them in order of importance.
Photo by?Brett Jordan?on?Unsplash
Of those tasks, which ones have to be completed tomorrow, which ones require some minor input tomorrow, and which can be left for another day?
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This is where you have to be ruthless, as prioritization is key to this strategy’s efficacy. Don’t include tasks just because they are easy and you know you can complete them. Don’t include tasks that you enjoy just because you can’t bring yourself to exclude them. Be realistic and focus on the ones that need to be completed.
Step Three: Take it One at a Time
Now that your tasks have been prioritized, it’s time to complete them one at a time.
Photo by?Glenn Carstens-Peters?on?Unsplash
Focus all of your efforts on the first task and work until it is finished. Obviously, some tasks must be prioritized in this manner but can’t be completed in a single day. But that’s where the next step comes in.
Step Four: Move Unfinished Items to the Following Day
Anything that can’t be completed today, must be completed tomorrow, and so on. If we refer to the list above, for example, you might finish the first task by the end of the day and then move everything to the next day. And because the resulting list will only have 5 items, you can add another one at the end.
Photo by?Markus Winkler?on?Unsplash
Step Five: Repeat
If you continue in this manner, you should have 6 tasks every single day and will also focus on the most important tasks. You will neglect some tasks on certain days, but not the important ones. The result is that you’re not spreading yourself too thin and are devoting your limited time to the jobs that can actually be completed within that time.
Photo by?Sean Alabaster?on?Unsplash
Summary: Why is the Ivy Lee Method so Effective?
The?Ivy Lee has been criticized for being too simple and failing to account for the complexities of daily life. It’s true, but that’s why strategies like this are so simple. If you try to complicate it, it won’t work. There might be better strategies out there, but in truth, most of the effective ones revolve around list creation and prioritization, including ones discussed in books like?Eat That Frog.
One of the reasons these strategies are so effective is because they emphasize priority, which is something that we tend to avoid. We leave the hardest and biggest tasks for last, and often fail to complete them as a result. We also get lost in the chaos of the day and let certain jobs pass us by.
How many times have you neglected an important deadline and chosen to do the grocery shopping or clean the toilet instead? You probably convinced yourself that they are important tasks as well, and they are, but that doesn’t mean they should be done first.
Try the?Ivy Lee method and see if it works for you.
For more information on productivity, take a look at the?This Week With Sabir podcast, where you will find tips and strategies from dozens of successful entrepreneurs.
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