The Ivy Lee Method
Published .
The Ivy Lee method is a to do list with a hard limit: six tasks, ranked, done in order. It is about a hundred years old and still one of the simplest ways to run a day. What it leaves open is which six. That is the part reverse journaling answers.
Use the free tool: the reverse planner
The Ivy Lee method says: at the end of each workday, write down the six most important things to do tomorrow, rank them, then work through them in order, one at a time. Anything unfinished moves to the next day's six. Reverse journaling adds the missing step: it starts from the goal written as done and works back, so the six you write each night are the six that move that goal.
The short answer
The Ivy Lee method tells you how to order a day: six tasks, most important first, one at a time. It does not tell you which tasks deserve the six slots. Reverse journaling picks them, by planning back from the finished goal to this week. Write tomorrow's six from that plan, and make task one a 45 minute sprint you start first.
Side by side
| Question | Ivy Lee method | Reverse journaling |
|---|---|---|
| Starts from | Everything you could do tomorrow | The goal written as done, with a date |
| Main output | Six ranked tasks for tomorrow | Milestones back to one step for today |
| Answers | In what order do I work? | Which work moves the goal? |
| Time horizon | Tomorrow | The goal date back to today |
| Check in | Each evening, write the next six | One line each night |
| Main risk | Six busy tasks that do not matter | A good plan with no start time |
Where the method comes from
Ivy Lee (1877 to 1934) was an American publicity adviser, often called one of the founders of modern public relations (source). The story goes that in 1918 Charles Schwab, head of Bethlehem Steel, asked Lee how to get more done. Lee gave his managers the six task rule, asked for nothing up front, and some months later Schwab sent him a check for $25,000.
Treat the details with care. The versions we found are retold in later sources: Earl Nightingale's audio program Lead the Field (1960), Alec Mackenzie's The Time Trap (first published 1972) and Michael LeBoeuf's Working Smart (1979), as cited on Wikipedia. James Clear, whose 2016 article made the method popular again, says the earliest reference he found is from the 1960s (source). We found no record from 1918 itself. The rule is worth using either way; the $25,000 is a good story, not evidence.
How the Ivy Lee method works
- At the end of the workday, write down the six most important things to do tomorrow. No more than six.
- Rank them in order of true importance.
- Tomorrow, start with task one and stay on it until it is finished. Then move to task two.
- Work the rest of the list the same way. At the end of the day, move anything unfinished to the new list of six.
- Repeat every working day.
What the research says, carefully
- A plan quiets the open loop. E. J. Masicampo and Roy Baumeister (2011) found that unfinished goals kept intruding on people's thoughts during other tasks, and that making a specific plan for the goal reduced that interference, even though the goal was still unfinished (source). Writing tomorrow's six before you stop work is that kind of plan.
- When and where plans help. Peter Gollwitzer and Paschal Sheeran (2006) pooled 94 tests of if-then plans, which name when and where you will act. These plans had a medium to large effect on reaching goals (source). "Task one, 8 am, at my desk" is that kind of plan. See implementation intentions.
- What no one has tested. We found no study of the Ivy Lee method itself, and none that compares it with reverse journaling. The case for combining them is a reasoned one: one picks the tasks, the other sets the order.
Treat these findings as a guide, not a promise. This is a planning habit, not medical or financial advice.
The catch: which six?
Six slots fill up fast. Reply to the landlord, book the dentist, answer the group chat, clear the expense report. All four are real, all four feel urgent, and none of them moves the goal you care about most. When the six are picked from today's noise, the loudest tasks win. When they are picked from a plan that starts at the finish line, at least slot one goes to the work that moves the goal.
How to pick the six backward
- Write the goal as done. Past tense, with a date: "On 30 April I passed my AWS certification exam."
- Name the obstacle. What is most likely to stop you? For many people it is the topic they keep skipping.
- Step back to this week. From the finish, work back through milestones until you reach what must be done by Friday.
- Tonight, write tomorrow's six. Slot one is the step from this week's plan, small enough for about 45 minutes. Write when and where you will start it. The other five can be the rest of life.
- Start with slot one. One 45 minute sprint before anything else. Then work down the list. Before bed, log one line on your done list and write the next six.
Example: one evening, two lists
Marcus wants to pass a cloud certification exam by spring.
- Six picked from the day: answer the team thread, update the slide deck, book the car service, review a pull request, pay the phone bill, call the bank. He finishes all six. The exam is no closer.
- Goal written as done: "On 30 April I passed the exam on my first try."
- Backward plan for this week: finish the networking module, do one practice test, book the exam date.
- Tomorrow's six: 1. "7:30 am, kitchen table: networking module, lessons 4 to 6." 2. Review the pull request. 3. Update the slide deck. 4. Answer the team thread. 5. Book the car service. 6. Pay the phone bill.
- Tonight's log: "Networking lessons 4 to 6 done."
The method did not change. What changed is what earned slot one.
When the Ivy Lee method alone is enough
- You already know what matters, and your problem is starting the day scattered.
- Your work is a steady stream of tasks with no single big goal behind it.
When to add reverse journaling
- You finish six tasks a day and the big goal still has not moved.
- Slot one keeps going to whatever feels most urgent that evening.
- You want the evening list to come from a plan, not from memory.
Where this fits in Reverse Journaling
Reverse Journaling starts with the goal written as done, names the obstacle, plans back to today and ends each day with a done log. Tomorrow's first 45 minute step is slot one on your list of six. If you like doing the hardest task first, the eat the frog method is a close cousin, and the daily routine shows where the evening list sits in the day.
Try it now
Write one goal as done, with a date. Ask what has to be true by Friday for it to happen. Put the next step from that list in slot one for tomorrow, with a time and a place. Then fill the other five.
Questions
What is the Ivy Lee method?
At the end of each workday, write down the six most important things to do tomorrow, rank them, and the next day work on them in order, one at a time, finishing the first before you start the second. Move anything unfinished to the next day's list of six.
Is the Ivy Lee story true?
Partly unknown. Ivy Lee was a real public relations adviser who worked with Bethlehem Steel. The story that Charles Schwab paid him $25,000 for the list is often told, but the versions we found come from time management books and talks decades later, not from records of the time.
Why only six tasks?
Six is a limit, not a magic number. The point is to force a choice. A short ranked list makes you decide tonight what matters, so tomorrow starts with the first task instead of with sorting.
How do I pick the six?
Pick them from your goal, not from your inbox. Write the goal as done, work back to what must be finished this week, then choose tomorrow's six from that list. Put the step that moves the goal most in slot one.
Can I use the Ivy Lee method and reverse journaling together?
Yes. The backward plan picks the six, the Ivy Lee rule sets the order. Make task one a 45 minute sprint, start it first, and log one line on your done list each night before you write the next six.