Workload & wellbeing
Pick tomorrow's top three before you leave
A micro habit for ending today with tomorrow already decided
Before you log off, write down the three things that matter most tomorrow, in order, and start with the first one in the morning.
- 5 minutes a day
- Just you
- Every workday
- Make time
Why this can work
Mornings tend to go to whatever arrives first, and by the time you look up, the good hours are gone. Choosing the night before, while today's context is fresh and nothing new is competing, is easier and calmer than choosing at nine with your messages open. It also gives today a clear place to end.
Read moreHow to plan tomorrow before you log off
You’ll come away with tomorrow's three most important things, in order, before you log off.
- Stop five minutes before you log off.
Put a short reminder on your calendar so it happens before the last message of the day, not after it.
- Write down tomorrow's three.
The three things that would make tomorrow a good day if they got done. Glance at tomorrow's calendar first, so you choose things that fit around the meetings you have.
Tip: Three is a ceiling, not a target. On a day packed with meetings, one may be right.
- Put them in order.
Number them. The first is what you start with, before email if you can manage it.
- Start with number one in the morning.
Work on it until it's done or you're genuinely stuck, then move to the next. Anything unfinished goes onto tomorrow evening's list, where you decide its place again.
MonTueWedThuFri9 am11 am1 pm3 pm5 min, yours5 pm0.3 hrs a month, for you4 hrs a year you didn’t have beforeSame slot so it stops being a decision
Good times to repeat it: at the end of every workdaybefore a day off, for the day you're backafter a day that got away from you
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
“Send the draft to Priya” is easier to start than “work on the draft,” and it's obvious when you're done.
What might make this harder
Find the first real gap and put number one in it. Even thirty minutes on the right thing changes how the day feels.
Questions people ask
What is the Ivy Lee method?
A daily routine attributed to Ivy Lee, a consultant in the early 1900s. At the end of each day, write down the six most important tasks for tomorrow, rank them, work through them in order, and carry any unfinished ones to the next day's list.
Should I plan my day the night before?
Many people find it helps. You decide while today's context is fresh and nothing new is competing, and you start the morning already knowing what matters.
How many priorities should I have in a day?
Fewer than feels comfortable. Three is enough to make real progress and few enough to finish. Some days, one is right.
What should I do with tasks I didn't finish?
Carry them to tomorrow's list and decide their place again. If something keeps carrying over for a week, it's probably too big to be one task, or less important than it looked.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Deciding what matters is hardest at exactly the moment most people try to do it: first thing, with messages already arriving. The trouble usually isn't discipline; it's choosing while everything is competing for your attention. In that moment the newest thing tends to win, and an hour later you're deep in someone else's priorities.
This habit is a trimmed version of the Ivy Lee method, named for a consultant who, as the much-retold story goes, gave it to the steel executive Charles Schwab in the early 1900s. Lee asked for six tasks. Three is easier to finish, and finishing the list most days is a large part of what keeps the habit going. The rest is his: write them the evening before, put them in order, work through them one at a time, and carry anything unfinished forward.
Doing it at the end of the day does two jobs at once. Tomorrow gets a plan made with today's context, while you still remember what's half-done and who's waiting on you. And today gets an ending. Having tomorrow written down somewhere you'll find it tends to quiet the evening habit of rehearsing what you need to do.
Some jobs won't bend to a list of three. If your work is set by a queue, like a support rotation or a shift, a list of three will mostly be overruled; pick the single thing you'd protect instead. And if your three keep turning out to be the wrong three, the gap is probably in the week rather than the day, and it's worth stepping back to look further ahead.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Workload & wellbeing
A few minutes that compound
Do it with Truest and it goes on your permanent record, in a Career Vault your employer doesn’t own.
See how Truest worksAlready a member? Log in- Part of the check-inThe end-of-day text asks for two scores and a line; this fits in it.
- On your recordWhen it's done, it goes on your record with your priorities and progress.
- A reminder beforePut it on your calendar and Truest reminds you before it starts.
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Written by Truest, based on The Ivy Lee method (as widely retold) (Ivy Lee). Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.