Ivy Lee Method
Also known as: six-task list, Ivy Lee six things
The Ivy Lee Method is an end-of-day ritual: write down the six most important tasks for tomorrow, rank them by importance, then work through them strictly in order, finishing or consciously carrying over each one before touching the next. It kills procrastination-by-choosing: when you sit down, the decision of what to do has already been made.
| Origin | Attributed to publicity consultant Ivy Lee, advising Bethlehem Steel executives around 1918; the story survives mainly through secondhand retellings, so treat the details as anecdote |
|---|---|
| Time required | 5 minutes each evening |
| Best for | decision fatigue, long to-do lists, prioritisation, simple routines |
| Difficulty | Very easy |
How to use ivy lee method
- At the end of each workday, write down no more than six important tasks for tomorrow.
- Rank them in true order of importance, not order of comfort.
- Tomorrow, start on task one and work it to completion before looking at task two.
- At day's end, move unfinished tasks to tomorrow's fresh six and repeat.
- Keep the list on paper or somewhere dumb; the method's power is its poverty of options.
There is no research on the Ivy Lee Method itself, and even its origin story is anecdotal. Its mechanisms line up with real findings, though: planning the night before functions as an implementation intention, which reliably improves follow-through, and writing specific plans for open tasks has been shown to reduce their intrusive pull on attention. The six-task cap and strict ordering are sensible constraints, not tested parameters.
Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1
Masicampo, E. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (2011). Consider it done! Plan making can eliminate the cognitive effects of unfulfilled goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(4), 667–683.
Common mistakes
- Writing six tasks in the morning instead of the evening. Morning-you will rank by mood, not importance.
- Sneaking to task three because task one is scary. The strict order is the anti-procrastination part.
- Listing six vague projects. Each line must be a completable task.
Related techniques
Frequently asked questions
Why only six tasks?
The cap forces a real ranking and keeps the list finishable. The number six comes from the original anecdote, not research; the constraint matters more than the exact count.
What if urgent work interrupts the list?
Handle it, then return to the top unfinished task rather than re-planning the day. Anything truly displaced rolls into tomorrow's six.