What if a 3 x 5″ Index Card Was All You Needed to Become More Productive?

It just might be.

Read on.

Follow these simple steps, and use the resources linked below, and you’ll be on your way in no time!

  1. Grab a 3″ x 5″ lined index card and something to write with.
  2. Flip the card to the unlined back, and position it vertically. Set a timer for 3 minutes, and write down every task you think you might need to do today.
  3. Flip the card over to the lined side. Put today’s day and date at the top, and make it look like the picture below.
  1. Using your task list from the back, begin writing your most important tasks you have time to do today1, in order of importance.2 Pick no more than 9 tasks (one for each line). The first item is #1, and so on. Your card should look like this:
  1. In the “P” column, place the point value for each item using the following scheme:
    – Item #1 gets a point value equal to the total number of tasks.
    – Item #2 gets a point value equal to 1 less than the item above it.
    – Repeat until you get to the final item on your list, which is worth 1 point.
    Your card should look something like this:
  1. Add up all the possible points in the “P” column. That’s your possible points value for the day.3
  2. As you complete items, cross them off the list, and award yourself the point value for each in the “A” column.4
  3. At the end of the day, add up the total points you’ve earned, and place that at the bottom of the “A” column. Take that amount, divided by your total points possible, and put that in the box at the bottom of your card. Below is an example of a fully scored card.

Aim for a score of .750 (75%) or greater. If you achieve that, keep it up! If you score lower, think about fewer items per free hour tomorrow. Repeat each day.

To get a bit more in-depth, check out the full guide.

Ready to try it?

Sign up below to get the 8-day intro email course, as well as access to the community.

.

Notes

  1. Don’t overload yourself with tasks to do, especially if you already have things you’re committed to doing/attending today. A good rule of thumb is this: count only the amount of hours you have free to do tasks today (i.e., not time in meetings, running errands, cooking dinner, self-care, or other pre-existing commitments). Take that quantity of hours and multiply it by 1.25. That’s roughly the amount of tasks that should go on the front of your card. ⮑
  1. I take the word ‘important’ to mean a task that contributes to meaningful life goals of yours—things that you consider worth doing in order to make your life better. While others’ goals for you may seem pressing (like getting your boss some document she requested), don’t assume that automatically makes them important. ⮑
  1. A quick way to add up your possible points is to use a fun mathematical concept called the termial. Simply take the count of the items on your list (in our example, it’s 7). Multiply that by the count of items plus 1 (in our example, that would be 8). Then divide that by 2, and that is the total possible points. ⮑
  1. Half points are possible for items that you put forth a respectable amount of effort toward, but didn’t complete. For example, if you had 9 items on your card, and you made progress on item 1, but didn’t finish it, award yourself 4.5 points. ⮑