If you don’t know about this most insanely, stupidly simple Ivy Lee method, then click here and read about it first.
Read? Now here are the 20 reasons why the Ivy Lee method is so powerful and efficient. This gives you the confidence to start trusting it and follow it for yourself.
- Insanely simple planning system. Easy to implement and use. No need for any learning or maintaining a system. Even a simple pen and paper is enough. You don’t need any complex system or app to use this method.
- It only prioritizes the priorities. So you focus on significant tasks that result in a significant outcome. And they get done.
- It forces you to focus on your priorities, which means the task you do will move you a step forward toward your goals.
- You wake with a plan in hand. You wake up with clarity. Your precious decision-making energy at the start of the day is used to work on important tasks instead of wasted in planning the day.
- You omit silly tasks in the list. This means you get rid of distracting tasks. Yes, apart from distractions some tasks are distracting too. They distract you from achieving your goals and consume your valuable time, especially those energetic moments in the morning to noon.
- You conquer one at a time. That means it encourages focus & flow. Usually, all 6 tasks are independent and don’t need anyone’s input to complete them. This means you can work at your own pace.
- Taking tough decisions is easy if you take them earlier. Choosing your tough tasks for the next day is relatively easier than choosing them in the morning hours.
- You don’t say “yes” to others before completing your 6 tasks. That means you’re the owner of your morning hours. Errands for the afternoons. “You” come before “Others”. Your tasks get done before you start to work on other people’s priorities.
- It only takes a minute or two to plan in the Ivy Lee method. That means easier routines have a high chance of sticking as a habit. Once it becomes a habit, doing it will be second nature.
- Completing your daily goals become easy as there are only 6 tasks. This gives you more motivation for other tasks for the day. The side effect of achieving your goal is being motivated for the rest of the day.
- Sleep better with confidence that everything is already taken care of. Eliminate “Revenge Bedtime Procrastination”.
- Eliminate the possibility of falling into “Sophisticated Procrastination”. You have a system that can’t be fine-tuned, thus you won’t waste time in tuning this system.
- Achievable. The list of 6 tasks is achievable. (Self-motivated). An overwhelming task list demotivates you at the first sight. Seeing only 6 tasks on the list makes you feel comfortable as you have the confidence of completing them before the day.
- Anything you do in the morning will likely stick and stay longer during the day. If you start the day with good focused work, the same state follows throughout the day. The Ivy Lee method is suitable to make use of this phenomenon for peak productivity.
- The success of any productivity system is how much you trust it and how much you can rely on it. The Ivy Lee Method is so simple and hard to fail. Just pick the right tasks every day.
- The secret of success is consistency. It is relatively easy to follow this method rather than other complex techniques for getting things done. Easy to cultivate consistency through this method.
- Your willpower is limited. The Ivy Lee method is most suitable to exploit your willpower in the most efficient way by limiting your target for the day and limiting it to only the most important tasks. This method ensures your precious willpower is spent on important tasks before any other.
- Limiting your “heavy-lift” tasks will give you better space to do other things in the other half of the day. It reduces stress as critical tasks have already been taken care of. This leads to a relaxed work state, which may increase your creative energy.
- It reduces friction to keep you in the flow. You can focus on the work instead of managing your decision on choosing the next task. One important quality of achieving a “flow state” is that there should be no friction and you should always have the answer to “what’s next”. (I will explain this in subsequent posts, so stay tuned). Read [the article “Procrastination? Struggling to start?] Know how to move forward” where I talked about the 2-minute rule to overcome the starting trouble in productivity.
- Stay on top of your goals and move in the right direction. Every evening when you sit and choose your tasks, make sure you choose the tasks that take you one step further to your long-term goal. It only takes a minute or two to do this. The Ivy Lee method not only helps you to conquer your day but also conquer your monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals.
20 points, done ✅. Don’t hesitate to try this method for at least 10 days to see the outcome of it. More questions? comment below, I am happy to help.