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The 6 Most Important Things List

By Becky McCray

6 most important things list on a calendar. Photo by Becky McCray.

Imagine with me….

Every day, as you start work, you know exactly what you’ll work on first. And what comes after that, and what comes after that.
Not a vague sense of a looming to do list, but an exact knowledge of the few most important things to work on today, in order. It’s do-able.
When an interruption comes in, you know quickly whether to act on it immediately, delay it, or dismiss it.

 

How do you get there?
Today, at the end of the work day, last thing before you finish for the day, take out a small piece of paper. Write on it the six most important things to do tomorrow. Put them in order, with the most important first. Then, first thing in the morning when you start work, begin with number 1. Do not move on until it is finished. Then work on the second item.

 

When an interruption comes in, compare its importance to the items on the list. More important? Do it now. Less? Put it on your separate big project list, but not your six list. At the end of the day, last thing, take out a new piece of paper and write the six most important things to do tomorrow. It’s different from today’s list, because things change.

 

How to make this work right: 
  • Six things. Not sixty, not thirty-six. Six things.
  • Important things. Not urgent things. Not someone else’s things. Things important to you.
  • Each “thing” is a task you can finish today. Break bigger things down into smaller steps that you can do today.
  • At the end of the day. Not at the beginning when you’re optimistic. At the end of the day when you can be realistic.
  • Do item 1 the first thing in the morning. Don’t check email first. Don’t rehash priorities. Start at 1 and finish it.
  • Daily. Every day. Every single day.

The Mary Kay organization believes in this enough that they make space for it at the top of their consultant date books.

Maybe you’ve heard the back story about the six list before, but I think it’s worth my re-telling it.

Back in the early 1900’s, Charles Schwab was the head of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Consultant Ivy Lee offered to increase the productivity of Schwab’s people, and Lee would let Schwab decide what the results were worth. Schwab agreed.

Lee taught each executive to sit down at the end of each day, and create a list. The list must contain only the six most important things to be completed the next day. Each morning, they should start the day by working on the first item on that list, and not move on until it is completed. That was it. Lee left, and let Schwab watch what happened.

After a few months of seeing results, Schwab sent a check to Lee for $25,000. That’s over $500,000 in today’s dollars.

If Charles Schwab found a simple list of six things to be worth half a million dollars, maybe it can work for you, too.

 

  • About the Author
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About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • Zoom Towns: attracting and supporting remote workers in rural small towns - December 10, 2020
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  • Video: How to fill empty car dealership buildings for the holidays - November 6, 2020
  • How has 2020 changed the challenges rural small towns face? Tell us here - October 20, 2020
  • The Idea Friendly Method to surviving a business crisis - October 6, 2020
  • Join me for the Rural Renewal Symposium online Oct 13 - September 26, 2020
  • Cheap placemaking idea: instant murals - September 11, 2020
  • Refilling the rural business pipeline - July 7, 2020
  • Huge vacant buildings: grants to renovate? - June 9, 2020
  • Economic self defense for small towns  - June 7, 2020

January 12, 2009 Filed Under: organization, planning, Small Biz 100

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Comments

  1. refocusing says

    January 12, 2009 at 4:38 pm

    That is very interesting. Six items. This type of thing is something that I must become better about so I think that I am going to try it. Thank you for the post.

    Jeremy
    http://refocusing.wordpress.com

  2. Scott Carpenter says

    January 13, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    Very sage advice – forces you to focus on what is important and be realistic with what can be achieved in one day.

  3. Becky McCray says

    January 14, 2009 at 5:01 am

    Thanks, Jeremy and Scott. The key is to make this a daily habit.

  4. Bradford Shimp says

    January 14, 2009 at 1:52 pm

    We have been using this method in our office for the past six months with great results. I agree that the key is sticking with it, and some days are better than others. Another key is to keep you longer list of future items accessible so you can feed it to your daily list of six when you have an opening.

  5. Chris Yates says

    July 25, 2011 at 6:57 pm

    I like the concept and used to have a rundown in TV. I would edit one item at a time and it helped to keep me focused.

    I think I will use this in business as well.
    Thanks for the reminder.

  6. carlosalbertoteixeira says

    July 25, 2011 at 7:18 pm

    This post came to me as a strong punch on my nose. It hurt. But was extremely valuable. Thanks a lot.

  7. Becky McCray says

    July 25, 2011 at 8:46 pm

    Cool to see this post go a little viral today!

    Bradford, love that it is actually working for you.

    Chris, the rundown list from TV is a great analogy. I’ll be using that idea!

    Carlos, I’m sorry it hurt, but I hope it helps make change.

  8. Tara @ Feels Like Home says

    July 26, 2011 at 1:36 am

    Someone sent this to me today, and it’s the second time in the last 5 hours that I’ve heard about a 6 things list. Incredibly. I think I’m supposed to start making a 6 things list every night for the next day, ya think? :)

  9. Becky McCray says

    July 26, 2011 at 2:06 am

    Tara, it certainly sounds like a good idea!

  10. Julia Sarver says

    July 26, 2011 at 3:58 pm

    This sounds like a great idea – I’m definitely going to implement this – I actually made a list of the things I need to accomplish last night, so I’ll work on those this morning.

    I’d love some suggestions for how to best manage my HUGE to-do list – I’ll pull my daily six from this list. I’m a solopreneur so most tasks fall to me, and I’m not sure how to best manage my monster list.

  11. Becky McCray says

    July 26, 2011 at 4:08 pm

    Julia, if the list is a monster, you need to find ways to get rid of some of it, even as a solopreneur. Here are 10 ways to delegate without hiring staff.

  12. naswanson says

    January 30, 2012 at 12:33 am

    I have a write-on board a work where I list the important things to accomplish each day, usually not more than six. I love being able to erase them before I leave each day, and the *volunteers* get to see what they accomplished. It’s become a great way to build self-confidence in those who don’t feel that they have much to offer. And it helps me stay on task in an often chaotic atmosphere.

  13. Becky McCray says

    January 30, 2012 at 2:11 am

    Nancy, that is a terrific visual way to do it, and to share it with the whole team.

  14. Becky McCray says

    December 15, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    My friend Rob Hatch uses these two reminders during the day, when he’s following his six list. They keep him on track:

    I can only do one thing at a time.
    What’s the most important thing for me to be doing right now?

  15. Becky McCray says

    August 10, 2017 at 2:47 pm

    My friend Rob Hatch added these two important elements:
    “I can only do one thing at a time.”
    and
    “What’s the most important thing for me to be doing right now?”

Trackbacks

  1. My Weekly Planner says:
    May 23, 2013 at 5:29 pm

    […] use the six most important things list every day to keep my focus on my priority […]

  2. On Thriving in a Small Town with Becky McCray — Habit Chef by Kendra Kinnison says:
    June 2, 2013 at 1:12 pm

    […] And one habit never changes: my list each day has six things, and only six things. […]

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