So many of us are doing multi-tasking that focusing on one task at a time seems underrated, or even old-fashioned. There are those who believe that focusing on one task a time is still effective in this day and age, though. The Ivy Lee Method, which has been around a century already, believes in this technique in order to achieve peak productivity. This method was created by Ivy Lee, a businessman who was also famous in the field of public relations.

According to James Clear, this is how the Ivy Lee Method goes:

1. At the end of each work day, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Do not write down more than six tasks.

2. Prioritize those six items in order of their true importance.

3. When you arrive tomorrow, concentrate only on the first task. Work until the first task is finished before moving on to the second task.

4. Approach the rest of your list in the same fashion. At the end of the day, move any unfinished items to a new list of six tasks for the following day.

5. Repeat this process every working day.

Seems so simple right? Connected Women co-founder and CEO Gina Romero subscribes by this method and says it helps keep her focused especially when so many messaging apps are open during office hours, and everyone is trying to be “hyper efficient”. Clear himself also believes in this method because for him, constraints or limiting one’s self is important in productivity.

How To Make This Method Work For You

Alina Co Calleja, founder at Creative Tree Workshops, says that a version of this method has made her productive. “I have a Starbucks planner where I write down all my tasks the night before, or sometimes in the morning; it depends on when I remember doing it,” she explains. “First, I still like to take notes and see them on paper. I am old school that way. Second, seeing the dates and tasks on a calendar on a monthly basis is really effective for me. So I know how the flow of my work will be and how fast I should work on those deliverables. Sometimes, I have set to finish maybe six tasks for the day, but since I see the deadline is in two days, it’s easy for me to bump off the tasks another day.”

Alina says she can still be flexible when doing this system. “I don’t really write down the items according to their importance,” she explains. “When I’m about to start my day, I just look at the list and figure out which one’s most urgent one. Once I am done with the task, I put a check mark. How I concentrate? I just close my social media and put my phone on silent mode since there are too many distractions these days. And the only way you can concentrate one task at a time is to do that.” She adds that the method works for her because she has a very goal-oriented personality.

Alina advises those who want to use the Ivy Lee Method to be open to flexibility. “Sometimes, tasks get bumped off, removed, or shuffled around based on your clients and boss’ requirements,” she explains. “There are days when you’ll struggle with these tasks, and days when you’ll be super effective at work and that’s okay, too. But unless you have a photographic memory, you really need to write down your tasks on a piece of paper or on your gadget. Enjoy the process, don’t think it will get in the way of your creativity, if you’re in the creative industry like me. Instead, this will help you be better.”

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