Maybe you have seen the quote: “trying to get 8 hours of sleep, get promoted, stay healthy and fit, work on my social life, and have a side hustle” on social media. It can be difficult to juggle all these priorities. Sometimes it even feels like you’re failing on all these aspects because you’re not giving your attention enough. J.D. Meier wrote in his book “Getting Results the Agile Way” that is better to have a top 3 priorities list every day, every month, every year. It works best for me to start with my top 3 for the year. Only then can I plan my priorities for the month, because they have to resonate with my top 3 of the year.

Not only professional priorities

You may have a list of things that are important to you. Arrange them according to importance. Now this list is not only for your professional goals. It could also be; spending more time with family and friends, exercising more often, or taking time for yourself. When you have numbered the priorities on your list, take the first 3, which are your rule of 3.

Why number 3

Have you ever wondered why for example they use number 3 in journals or planners? For example. 3 things to make today a success, 3 things to be grateful for, or 3 affirmations for today. Well, there is a scientific reason for this. J.D. Meier found that focusing on 3 things makes you cut out the other stuff more easily on the other hand it helps you prioritize better.

Not really about productivity

This rule to me is not really about productivity. In some cases, if you follow this term you are already setting yourself up for failure because you can always be more productive. By focusing on 3 things I can give my mind a little rest. When these 3 things are accomplished, I get a sense of success and then I can move on to new priorities.

Here is a link which explaines J.D. Meier’s Rule of 3 a bit more: click here

Image: Unsplash, by Kelly Sikkema