1,000 tasks?! Is that possible? Thatâll take a lifetime, right? No way it could take a sensible amount of time to accomplish 1,000 tasks or to-do items, right? That’s where the 3×333 Method swoops in to save the day and help you get more done.
I used to suck at getting things done on a daily basis, until I stumbled upon this simple process.
You want to get more done in your life and business, right? I mean, if youâre reading this article, I have to assume that is something you want to do.
Can you imagine the impact of getting 1,000 targeted tasks done in the next year? Does it seems like an impossible feat? Do you think you have a better chance of climbing Mount Everest a couple times first? Well, let me help you implement a simple new method into your life.
What is the 3×333 Method and how will it help you get more done
The 3×333 Method is a very simple process for breaking your ever-growing to-do list into a manage system. It involves these two steps:
- Write down and complete 3 tasks per day
- Repeat Step #1 until you’ve done this for 333 days
Want to take breaks on weekends? Go for it. Itâs your life. But of the amazing goals you’ll accomplish if you start using the 3×333 Method is getting 1,000 things done!
How many tasks did you get done last year?
Without a tracking system in place, itâs impossible to tell if you got any closer to your goals, or if each day was productive or a total wash. A year from now, wouldnât it be amazing to actually see that you accomplished 1,000 tasks and be able to witness the direct impact of those things? Your answer is yes, so letâs keep going.
There are just five steps to the 3×333 Method. (I know, I know. I shouldâve made it three.)
Step #1 to get more done: Create a recurring calendar reminder for the same time every morning
This is VERY important. Hence why itâs Step #1.
Whether you use the calendar app on your phone, Google Cal, Outlook, a physical daily planner, or you have an assistant who manages your every need (who probably deserves a raise, by the way), a recurring daily reminder is critical. Itâll help this method become an expected part of your day instead of a frustrating interruption.
I recommend having the 3×333 Method be your first calendar item of the day.
Yeah, go ahead and make coffee and surf your Instagram feed, but after that, your 3×333 alarm should be going off. Have this calendar item recur every single day into eternity. Donât worry about ending it on day 333. Thatâs not important. Stop wasting time on things that donât matter right now. Recurring calendar reminder at a set time. Boom. Done.
Step #2: Write out your three tasks!
This, my friends, helps you build a habit. And what do habits do? They help you get stuff done when you struggle to get stuff done!
Iâd recommend a piece of paper or a journal/notebook. I’ve found I get way more things done when I do the physical act of writing something down (instead of creating yet another new page/list in a to-do list app).
The beauty of writing your tasks on a piece of paper is you can crumple it up each day and get a little destructive satisfaction in your life!
If you use a journal or notebook to write down your daily tasks you’ll be able to leaf back through the pages when youâre needing a little boost about exactly how much youâre accomplishing every day. (Just try to get a notebook that can fit 333 3-item lists on it so you donât need to move to a second journal/book). I recommend the Panobook by StudioNeat.
What should you write down for your three tasks?
Things you can get done that day! âWrite my best-selling novelâ is not a one-day task. Write something simpler and more accomplishableâsomething that helps you achieve the much bigger goal to write a best-selling novel (or whatever your bigger goal is). Things like:
- Write 500 words of Chapter 3: the section about my awkward playground experience on the jungle gym.
- Spend 10 minutes answering emails.
- Do slides 25-30 for XYZ Business powerpoint.
- Skype call with Paul about new podcast.
The smaller and more concise the tasks you write down, the better the chances that youâll actually get them done! (If you donât get them done, the next step will help you.)
Step #3: Every day, focus on getting three things done
You should only be writing daily tasks that you can accomplish in one day. However, I realize and have experienced that sometimes tasks don’t get done. If a task doesn’t get completed, you’ll want to carry it over to the next day’s 3-task list.
Letâs say youâre on Day 7, and youâve just sat down to review your list of three items from Day 6. You realize you didnât get the last item done. Uh oh. Donât worry! This will happen. Be okay with it. Donât freak out and go on a weird donut-binging bender or anything. What youâll need to do is rewrite the task you didnât get done from Day 6 as the first task to do on Day 7. Then add your two new tasks.
Not getting a task done may feel like youâve derailed your 3×333 to 1,000 progress, but thatâs just not true. How do I know? Just trust me. Iâm your getting-things-done sherpa. Keep going. Keep pushing forward. Iâll explain in Step 5.
Step #4: Realize that 3×333 does not equal 1,000
I bet you already realized that, didn’t you, you smart cookie?
But hereâs the beautiful thing about the 3×333 Method. Eventually, youâre going to have days where you get more than three tasks done. GASP! I know. Your mind has entered a state of fireworks and Michael Bay 360-degree-explosions.
If youâre a strict rule follower, hereâs the missing 1,000th task: Do four tasks on Day 333.
You may finish your 1,000 tasks way ahead of 333 days. Great! Iâm extremely proud of you, and Iâd like to give you a blue ribbon for your accomplishment. The goal is to help you get going, so get going.
Step #5: Donât quit. You will build momentum.
This is where you go out on a limb and you trust me. You trust the guy who used to put âDoes Stuffâ in his website URL (JasonDoesStuff to be exact). You trust a guy who, for nearly 900 straight days, worked without a day off. You trust someone who embraces his overly efficient tendencies.
If you keep your tasks small and achievable, you will have no problem getting to 1,000. Maybe on Day 10, youâll hit a snag. Or on Day 20, your dog will have to have emergency plastic surgery so he can get the part heâs always dreamed of in that Petco commercial. (I really hope cosmetic surgery isnât actually a thing for dogs.) But if you stick with this process, you will build momentum.
If you want the 3×333 Method to help you achieve a larger goal, you can target your tasks in that direction. If you want simply to get more things done every day, the same method will help you go to bed each night feeling accomplished.
Completion and consistency are like compounding interest. You donât see the benefits right away, but we all know it works.
Bonus Step #6 to get more done: Find an accountability partner
The first time I did the 3×333 Method as a formal thing was in April 2015, and we called it Pow Pow with the Bow Wow. This was a cute name my roommates came up with when we used to have morning meetings to list the three tasks we were going to get done each day. Calling it the 3×333 Method is a bit simpler (even though Pow Pow with the Bow Wow is more fun to say).
As a household, we met every morning at the exact same time. It was our Step #1: the recurring item on all our calendars. We sat together and wrote a physical list of the three tasks we each wanted to get done. Then weâd refer to this list throughout the day and reflect on it the next morning, repeating the process over and over again.
If you have a friend, co-worker, or significant other, bring them into your 3×333.
The three daily tasks donât have to be business-related. Iâve kept them that way for this audience, but everyone has things they need to get done on a daily basis. Your list might include tasks for your forthcoming Bassett Hound Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, but your friend might just list personal errands. Just write things down, and focus on getting them done!
If youâre looking for some scientific backing to the 3×333 Method, you wonât find any.
I made it up. Just like other human beings make up all the magical things around us in our world. But doesnât this seem like a really actionable, practical way to get 1,000 tasks done? Yes, you still have to do the actual work involved with those 1,000 tasks, but now you have a process and a guide to help keep you on track. And youâll have proof, after 333 days, that youâre a productivity machine!
The unintended consequences of inconsistency are easy to ignore. Give yourself a chance to become an action-taking kung-fu master and to prove to yourself (and anyone else you want to prove things to) that you can accomplish 1,000 tasks in the next 333 days.
It’s fun to see some folks sharing their experience using the 3×333 method on Twitter! Make sure to @ mention me if you try this method for yourself.
Following @iwearyourshirt's 3×333 and just finished my third task by noon. Today is a good day đ
— Rick Finnie (@rickmakesstuff) February 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/AutismAtThePark/status/699616829128441859