Use the '3-3-3' Method to Space Out Your Tasks and Get More Done

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Sometimes, determining which projects you should devote your time and energy to first takes energy you don’t have to spare (which is why I have tips for how to do it). But even when you know what tasks need to be done, you still need to figure out how to prioritize them, so you can tackle them in the right order while giving each the amount of attention and resources they actually need. Here's where you can use the 3-3-3 method.

What is the 3-3-3 method?

This technique comes from Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. He advocates planning each workday around a 3-3-3 model:

1. First devote three hours to deep work on your most important project.

2. Next, complete three other urgent tasks that don’t require three hours of focus.

3. Finally, do three “maintenance” tasks, like cleaning, answering emails, or scheduling other work.

Other productivity techniques, like the pomodoro method, call for you to engage in deep work, or completely uninterrupted work with no distractions, so consider tapping into one of those first three hours if you want to make the most of a 3-3-3 approach.

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

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To figure out which of the above categories a task fits into, I recommend a prioritization method like the Eisenhower matrix, which involves using a quadrant system to divvy up your responsibilities by urgency and importance. You'll want to consider not only how timely the things you need to do are, but also how many resources they'll consume. Remember not to overestimate the amount of time your tasks will take you—the longer you give yourself to work on something, the more you'll naturally drag out your work, which hampers productivity. Be firm with yourself when deciding how long to allot for a major, resource-heavy task.

If you don't consider yourself a morning person and aren't sure you can jump into a heavy workload right away in the day, it's not necessarily a problem. I've written about the value of eating the frog—or, rather, tackling your biggest task of the day right away when you get up, which is a part of the traditional 3-3-3 structure—and though I've tried it myself, I'm just not that kind of person. It doesn't mean I can't work within a 3-3-3 framework, so don't feel like you can't, either.

Play around with the technique, maybe by starting later in the morning and pushing your lunch back. I find this approach helpful because, truthfully, I really only buckle down around 10:30 every day. Because I am a slower person in the morning, I rearrange my 3-3-3s, tackling maintenance tasks earlier in the day, which keeps me feeling motivated and productive—getting things like answering emails out of the way clears my mind so I can focus on my bigger tasks more easily later.

The key to succeeding with a technique like this isn't forcing yourself to fit a mold, but molding the method to your own best working habits, giving yourself a little extra structure, within reason. The goal here is to be discerning about what you take on in a day and work in the right order to maximize productivity, but you have a little wiggle room, so try a few approaches to your schedule to see what works.

Why the 3-3-3 method works

What distinguishes this method from other productivity hacks are those three hours of deep work. Usually, jumping into them first means you’ll be fresh, focused, and more likely to be able to focus on a task without getting distracted. Regardless of if you stick to the traditional structure of doing three hours of deep work first in your day or mess with the 3-3-3 schedule, make sure to keep those three hours free of emails, texts, chit-chat, or other menial duties, to the best of your ability.

Deep work yields major productivity, so you’ll get a lot accomplished if you commit to it, but you can’t stay in that mindset forever. You’ll top out after about three hours, so it’s best to have those three other, smaller tasks lined up and ready to go so you can stay productive even while downshifting into less demanding responsibilities. After three hours in the zone, you should find that those tasks are easier.

Finally, your maintenance tasks give you a chance to get things done while giving your brain a rest. Use your maintenance time to prepare for the following day’s work, put finishing touches on whatever you were working on during those three hours of intense focus, or, like me, get the most boring things over with so you can think about something else.

You can use this technique to tackle seven different tasks of varying urgency levels or to break one major project down into smaller chunks, depending on what your day needs. Just be sure to stick with the process.

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