Hello Beautiful,
Feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list? Don’t go anywhere - today’s topic is right up your alley!
The 3-3-3 Planning Method is a minimalist yet powerful approach to getting things done without burnout.
As someone who likes to plan her days/weeks, (my life revolves around my Google Calendar) let’s talk about this.
What is the 3-3-3 Planning Method?
It is a simple productivity and time management technique that helps you stay focused by limiting your daily to-do list. It involves organizing your tasks into three distinct levels:
3 Hours of Deep Work: Spend three hours on your most important or deep work task of the day - something that requires focus and delivers significant results. Think of anything that moves the needle.
3 Medium Tasks: Choose three medium-priority tasks that are important but not as intensive as your deep work. These could take around 30–60 minutes each.
3 Small Tasks: Complete three quick, low-effort tasks like replying to emails, making a call, or scheduling an appointment.
This method helps reduce overwhelm and forces prioritization by limiting the number of tasks you commit to in a day.
Why it Works
Prioritization: Forces you to choose what really matters.
Focus: Encourages deep work with clear boundaries.
Simplicity: Nine tasks max — no more overwhelming to-do lists.
Satisfaction: Provides a structured path to feel accomplished by day’s end.
How to Use It?
Plan your day in the morning (or the night before).
Use a notebook, planner, or digital tool like Notion or Trello.
Batch similar tasks to save mental energy.
Review your progress at the end of the day and adjust for tomorrow.
This method works really well for building my business, but with my corporate job, it’s sometimes tough to carve out a solid three-hour block of uninterrupted time. So, I tweaked it a bit to fit better with my schedule. Here’s how I make it work:
Three Goals: Start by identifying three main goals you want to achieve in the short term, whether it’s for the day or week. These should be your top priorities.
Three Tasks: For each goal, list three specific tasks or actions you need to complete to move closer to that goal. This keeps your focus sharp and manageable.
Three Rewards: Finally, think of three rewards you can give yourself for completing the tasks or achieving the goals. This adds motivation and makes the process more enjoyable.
This method helps reduce overwhelm and forces prioritization by limiting the number of tasks you commit to in a day.
Additional Tips:
Customize it: Use 2-2-2 or 4-4-4 if your energy or workload changes.
Set timers: Try the Pomodoro technique during your 3-hour block. (Keep an eye out for next week’s edition - we’ll be unpacking this topic further.)
Use themes: Assign a theme to each day (e.g., “Marketing Mondays”) to make planning easier.
So there you have it - The 3-3-3 Planning Method: because your to-do list doesn’t need to look like a Pennywise receipt. Try it out, tweak it like I did, and watch your productivity (and sanity) soar. Until next time, keep planning like a boss and slaying those goals - three at a time.
Thank you for reading and enjoy the rest of your week my friend!
Until my next email,
xx Emily 🫰
