Imagine it’s 1918. You’re an executive at the Bethlehem Steel Company in Pennsylvania, one of the largest steel manufacturers in the world.
Despite the company’s success, you and your colleagues need help managing your time effectively. Enter Ivy Lee, a productivity consultant with a revolutionary idea. His method was so simple yet powerful that it has endured for over a century.
This is the story of the Ivy Lee Method.
In their book The ONE Thing, authors Gary Keller and Jay Papasan explore Lee’s transformative technique in depth. The core principle is deceptively simple: focus on what matters most.
But in practice, this requires ruthless prioritization and single-minded focus. It’s a system that forces you to ask: What’s the most important thing I can do today?
Big Idea 1: The Power of Prioritization
The Ivy Lee Method starts with a daily ritual: At the end of each workday, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Then, rank them in order of their true importance.
This might seem straightforward, but many of us struggle with it. So, how do we decide what truly matters in a world of endless to-do lists and constant distractions? Keller and Papasan suggest a guiding question: “What’s the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
By focusing on this question, you cut through the noise and identify the tasks with the most significant impact. You’re no longer just “getting things done” — you’re getting the right things done.
Consider this example: Let’s say you’re a manager at a tech startup. Your to-do list might include tasks like responding to emails, updating project timelines, and preparing for a team meeting.
But when you ask yourself, “What’s the ONE Thing I can do today that will have the greatest impact?” a different picture emerges. Perhaps it’s finalizing the budget for a critical initiative or having a difficult but necessary conversation with an underperforming team member.
By prioritizing these high-impact tasks, you’re not just checking items off a list—you’re making meaningful progress on your most important goals. As Greg McKeown writes in Essentialism, we must pause and ask ourselves, “Am I investing in the right activities?”
Big Idea 2: The Magic of Single-Tasking
Here’s where the Ivy Lee Method challenges the status quo. Once you’ve identified your six most important tasks, you tackle them individually, giving each focus and attention until it’s complete.
This flies in the face of the modern glorification of multitasking. As Keller and Papasan bluntly write, “Multitasking is a lie.” Every time we switch between tasks, we lose time and momentum. We sacrifice depth for breadth.
But when we embrace single-tasking, magic happens. We enter a state of deep work where we can make significant progress on our most important goals. By dedicating ourselves to one task at a time, we achieve more than we ever thought possible.
Imagine you’re a writer working on a novel. You’ve identified your most important task for the day: writing the pivotal scene in Chapter 10. Instead of trying to juggle this with answering emails, researching markets, and updating your social media, you give this one task your undivided attention for a dedicated block of time.
This focus allows you to fully immerse yourself in the scene and craft each sentence with care and thoughtfulness. You’re not just getting words on the page—you’re creating something of depth and quality.
Big Idea 3: The Rhythm of Review and Reflection
The final piece of the Ivy Lee Method is perhaps the most overlooked: the daily review. Every day, you get to reflect on what you accomplished (or didn’t accomplish) and use that knowledge to inform your priorities for the next day.
This isn’t just about checking items off a list—it’s about developing a rhythm of continuous improvement. By reflecting on your progress and adjusting your course, you ensure that you’re always moving in the right direction.
Let’s return to our earlier example of the tech startup manager. At the end of the day, they review their progress. They see that they were able to finalize the budget, but they still need to get to that difficult conversation. They use this information to prioritize the conversation for the next day, recognizing its importance.
Over time, this daily practice of review and reflection becomes a powerful tool for growth and self-improvement. It allows you to learn from your successes and failures, continually refine your priorities, and consistently progress on your long-term goals.
Conclusion
So, how can you practice the Ivy Lee Method in your own life? Start small. At the end of each day this week, take a few minutes to write down your six most important tasks for tomorrow. Then, each morning, work through those tasks one at a time.
Pay attention to how this changes your workday. Notice the satisfaction of making tangible progress on your most meaningful goals. And if it works for you, consider making the Ivy Lee Method a permanent part of your productivity toolkit.
Remember, the power of this technique lies in its simplicity. By focusing on what truly matters, single-tasking, and continuously reviewing and reflecting, you can achieve extraordinary results.
In the words of Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, “If you want the most from your life, you need to be doing the most important work.” The Ivy Lee Method is your guide to finding and completing that work, one day at a time.
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