The 1-3-5 rule
One big thing, three medium things, five small things. Nine tasks is about what fits in a real workday — the rule keeps your list honest.
Does it fit?
Using typical sizes — about 2½ hours for the big task, 45 minutes for each medium and 15 for each small — a full 1-3-5 list comes to roughly 5 hours 30 minutes of work. On an 8-hour day that leaves room for meetings, breaks, email and the unexpected. That margin is the point.
Press "Block these into today" and the planner places them in order: big first, while your attention is fresh.
Where it comes from
The rule was popularised by Alex Cavoulacos of The Muse as a fix for the to-do list that never ends. Instead of writing everything down, you decide in advance what size of day you have.
Choosing the one, the three and the five
- The 1 is the task that would make today count. Often it's also your frog.
- The 3 are real pieces of work that move things forward but don't need a whole morning.
- The 5 are quick ones: a reply, a booking, a form. Batch them into one admin block.
1-3-5 vs Ivy Lee
The Ivy Lee method ranks six tasks and works them strictly in order. 1-3-5 sizes tasks instead of ranking them. If your tasks vary a lot in size, 1-3-5 usually produces a more realistic day; if they're similar in size, Ivy Lee is simpler.
Questions people ask
What is the 1-3-5 rule?
A way to build a realistic daily to-do list: on any given day, plan to accomplish one big thing, three medium things and five small things — nine tasks in total. It was popularised by Alex Cavoulacos, co-founder of The Muse.
How big is a "big" task?
Something that needs a solid block of focus, typically two to three hours: a draft, a design, a proposal. Medium tasks take roughly 30 to 60 minutes; small ones take 15 minutes or less.
What if my day has lots of meetings?
Shrink the list. On heavy meeting days, use 1-2-3 or drop the big task in favour of an extra medium one. The idea is that the list must fit the hours you actually have.