Hello!
Seiiti Arata.
The Ivy Lee productivity method was created over one hundred years ago.
Even though it was invented a long time ago, this method is still used by some of the most
successful people in the world.
As you know, there are many productivity methods out there.
If you search online for productivity methods, you will find plenty of complete systems,
with automations, lists, projects and integrations.
They all claim to be the missing tool for you to produce more in less time.
Some people actually manage to implement these complex productivity systems.
They are people who can execute their tasks for the day, month, or year, in an organised
way.
But there are also people who do not manage to follow complicated applications or methods.
Or they simply do not want complex methods.
Are you one of these people?
Instead of searching for the most advanced app… wouldn’t it be more intelligent to
use something that has been tried and tested for over one hundred years?
The Ivy Lee productivity method is what you are looking for.
To this day it continues to work well for those who want to organise and carry out tasks
in a simple and efficient way.
The Ivy Lee method focuses on what needs to be done now.
In 1918, one of the richest men in the world, Charles Schwab, employed a consultant called
Ivy Lee to increase his team’s efficiency and productivity.
Ivy Lee asked to spend fifteen minutes with every main manager and said that he would
not charge anything until his method actually worked.
In the meetings with managers, Ivy Lee taught his method of six steps to reach maximum productivity.
These are the six steps:
1.
Define your values and goals in your personal and professional life.
2.
At the end of every working day, take fifteen minutes to write the six most important things
that you need to do tomorrow in order to reach these goals.
Never write more than six tasks and always write the list the night before.
That way, you can start the next day knowing what you have to do and avoid making decisions
in the morning.
3.
Put these tasks in order of importance.
Always do the most important task first.
4.
When you start working in the morning, focus on the first task on the list.
Forget all the other tasks until you have finished this one.
5.
Only move on to the next task once you have finished the previous one.
If you reach the end of the day without completing the six tasks, move the remaining tasks to
the following day.
6.
Repeat the process every day, taking fifteen minutes to write the six most important tasks
for the next day, starting with the most important one.
The Ivy Lee productivity method is about knowing what you want from life.
So every night, make a list of six tasks to carry out the next day by order of importance.
When the next day begins, you will do the tasks one by one, as they are listed, throughout
the day.
If you finish all the tasks, you create another list of six tasks for the following day.
If you do not finish all the tasks, simply move the remaining tasks to the following
day and complete the list so you have six tasks in total.
That’s it.
The managers thought the method was too simple, but they decided to trust Ivy Lee.
They tested the method for three months.
At the end of the test period, Charles Schwab was so satisfied with the increase of his
company’s productivity that he gave Ivy Lee a bank cheque that today would be worth
over four hundred thousand dollars.
The secret of the Ivy Lee productivity method is to manage your priorities in a simple and
focused way.
The Ivy Lee method is much more simple than other methods that are equally famous.
For example, the Getting Things Done or GTD method that we already explained in the Arata
Academy Summary episode 11.
[https://arata.se/aratasummary11]
If you compare the Ivy Lee method with more modern productivity methods, you may think
that just making a small list of six things to do is outdated, that it is not compatible
with the complexity of modern life.
That is not true.
By making you choose six (and only six) tasks to do TOMORROW, the Ivy Lee productivity method
forces you to make tough decisions.
The limit of six tasks means you have to intentionally give up dozens of other things you might want
to do tomorrow.
Those who follow this method learn to be very good at prioritising the most important tasks.
You learn to say no to tasks that do not need to be done or cannot be done now.
And then you can focus all your attention on tasks that you can do.
The method also makes you focus your attention on the present.
Instead of creating endless lists of future projects that depend on many variables, the
Ivy Lee method brings your attention back to what you can do now.
Watch the Arata Academy Summary 09 [https://arata.se/aratasummary09] about the book The ONE Thing.
It is only by focusing on the present that you can do the one thing to reach your personal
and professional goals.
Another advantage is simplicity.
The Ivy Lee productivity method removes all the complexities of wanting to build a super
complete productivity system that aims to record every single task in your life.
You can think of it as minimalist productivity.
This minimalism is also related to the tools you need in order to apply the Ivy Lee method.
You will not need an automated task manager, integrated calendars, scheduled reminders
or notifications on your smartwatch.
All you need is a pen and paper or a notes app to list the six most important tasks for
the following day.
Try the Ivy Lee method for 90 days and evaluate the impacts on your productivity.
That is all you need to know about the Ivy Lee method.
You might think this method is too simple to achieve any meaningful results.
If that is the case, remember the popular quote “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”
and try this method for yourself to see whether it suits your goals.
I always like to make it very clear that there is not one productivity method that suits
every single person.
Some people prefer a more complex method like the GTD, but others can reach the highest
degree of productivity using more simple methods like the Ivy Lee method.
The only way to find out what works best for you is trying it out.
Therefore, if you are still looking for the ideal productivity method for your life, I
suggest that you follow the six steps proposed by Ivy Lee for the next three months.
At the end of each day, write a list with six tasks by order of importance that you
can carry out the following day.
At the start of the next day, do each task one by one by order of importance.
Only move to the next task if you have finished the current one.
At the end of the day, if you have not finished all six tasks, move the remaining ones to
the list for the following day.
At the end of this experiment, you will have done at least ninety lists of tasks, and up
to five hundred and forty important tasks over a period of three months.
Even if you only reach half of this number, imagine how much progress you will have made
on your projects by simply focusing on the most important tasks you have right now.
All you need to reach maximum productivity is a pen, paper and a list of six tasks by
order of importance.
If every night you decide the most important things you will do the next day and really
focus on carrying out these tasks, you will have completed a large number of tasks in
no time.
Much more than if you were listing and automating everything in a super complex productivity
system.
The Ivy Lee productivity method can be exactly what you need for a simple, direct and objective
way to plan and carry out the most important tasks in your life.
You can use this method alongside other productivity methods, like time blocking, for example.
To know more of these techniques, I am inviting you to get to know our Productivity Ninja
course by watching a special lesson about time management at the following link https://arata.se/timemanagement