What is 1-3-5 Rule and how can it boost your productivity
Lots of work to do? Do you make an overflowing to-do list to get all the work done but instead feel overwhelmed seeing it? We feel you. Managing time and productivity simultaneously can be very overwhelming. When you don’t have proper methods to complete your to-do list, most probably you will fail to get things done.
The pressure to accomplish numerous tasks can lead to stress, anxiety, and a sense of being constantly behind schedule. This feeling can often hinder productivity rather than enhance it.
This is where the 1-3-5 rule comes into effect. This can help amplify your workplace productivity significantly. This method encourages individuals to focus on accomplishing a limited number of tasks each day. These tasks are separated on the basis of how large and difficult it is, thereby prioritizing what matters the most and avoiding the trap of trying to tackle everything at once.
Sounds a little simpler now? Well, keep reading. Further in the blog, we will discuss how the 1-3-5 rule works, its benefits, how time tracking software works in accordance with this rule and understand how to implement it.
What is the 1-3-5 Rule?
The 1-3-5 Rule is a structured technique by which you can categorize your tasks into a to-do list that is proven to increase productivity. This rule asks you to accomplish 1 big mission, 3 medium tasks, and 5 small things. Coupling this productivity rule with your to-do list can give a boost to your productivity.
How does the 1-3-5 rule work?
It is easier to find undisturbed short intervals of time to do small tasks in a day than to find long hours of uninterrupted hours to do a bigger task.
This is what the 1-3-5 rule takes into consideration.
The rule emphasizes the importance of getting the most difficult and most important task to get done first.
It also recognizes that if tasks are simpler, we need to do more of them if we want to judge ourselves to be productive.
Why do we fail to achieve our to-do list?
There are just too many things to be done every day to survive our ruthless competitive world. Most of our plans end up being mere fantasies. This is because we plan our day with no strategy or understanding of our capabilities and schedules. When we get bombarded with too many meetings, tasks, unexpected chit-chats, and breaks, we lose track of our plans.
Each day comes with unexpected distractions that ruin our plans. It could be your wrecked heels, that bus that came late, or your inability to turn back a colleague that doesn’t stop talking. Every 5 minutes of distraction has the strength to bring your plans out of shape.The 1-3-5 Rule reorients our tasks to a list that is achievable in a day giving respect to our schedules and unexpected time lags.
Benefits of following a 1-3-5 to-do list for enhancing productivity
The 1-3-5 rule helps you from feeling overwhelmed and left behind in your everyday to-do lists. Following listed are some of the best benefits of following the 1-3-5 to-do list.
Increases your productivity
The first thing to say about what this rule can do to you is – it lifts up your productivity and helps to get more things done
Helps to prioritize your work
Without a good understanding of what your priorities are, you are mostly lost. When we incorporate a productivity-enhancing framework like the 1-3-5 rule into our to-do list, we give more thought to what measures of priority each task deserves.
Helps to build a more practical to-do list
Ninety percent of respondents in a LinkedIn poll claimed that they don’t get to fulfill their everyday to-do list. This brings us to the conclusion that most days are not as predictable as we think. However, the 1-3-5 rule gives a flexible to-do list that gets more things done
Helps to focus on tasks that actually matter
1-3-5 rule helps to focus on tasks that actually matter when we split less time for small, miscellaneous, and less priority tasks
It builds a good habit
One of the best benefits of following a 1-3-5 rule to-do list is that it cultivates a very lifting habit with how we frame and deal with our everyday to-do list.
How to Implement the 1-3-5 Rule?
1-3-5 Rule emphasizes prioritizing your tasks. It demands to categorize your tasks into one priority task, three medium priority tasks, and five smaller tasks. Following is the chronology of steps you need to follow to successfully implement the 1-3-5 rule in your daily routine.
- Map the usual hours of break and make guesses of interruptions that can arise in between working hours.
- Allocate those hours with less number of interruptions for the priority task.
- Allocate those hours with more interruptions for small less priority tasks.
Step 1 – Write it down
The first step for implementing the 1-3-5 rule is to literally write down everything you have to do.
Step 2 – Split tasks between productive hours
(Note: A typical 8-hour work day can be estimated to have only 6 hours of productive hours.)
1-3-5 Rule Template
1-3-5 rule templates can make the implementation of this rule a lot easier. You can download the template given above.
1-3-5 Rule App
If you want to digitalize your to-do list and find its management at your fingertips, 1-3-5 rule apps can help you. Some of the best software or apps to implement the 1-3-5 rule are:
Want to try our Time Tracking Software?
Try Desklog for free!
Final Thoughts
Implementing the 1-3-5 Rule in your everyday life will boost your productivity. Coupling this productivity technique with other equally benefiting techniques can further give an upliftment to your productivity. According to Gallup, 85 % of employees feel disengaged at work and this causes productivity to lose costing $7 Trillion a year. Do not organize things in your brain. Give it the liberty to be out there in the paper. Releasing your to-do list from your head and burdening its organization on a paper will itself feel comforting for your head from being bombarded with thoughts.
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Content Writer at Desklog
