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

Sometimes figuring out which projects you should spend your time and energy on first takes energy you don’t have to spare (which is why I have tips on how to do it). But even when you know which tasks need to be completed, you still need to figure out how to prioritize them, so you can tackle them in the right order while giving each one the attention and resources it actually needs. 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 recommends planning each workday around a 3-3-3 model:

1. First, spend three hours doing in-depth work on your most important project.

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

3. Finally, complete three “maintenance” tasks, such as cleaning, responding to emails, or scheduling other work.

Other productivity techniques, like the Pomodoro Method, require you to engage in deep work or completely uninterrupted, distraction-free work, so consider leveraging one of those first three hours if you want to get the most out of a 3-3-3 approach.

To determine which of the above categories a task falls into, I recommend a prioritization method like the Eisenhower Matrix, which involves using a system of quadrants to divide your responsibilities by urgency and importance. You will need to consider not only the desirability of the things you need to do, but also the amount of resources they will consume. Remember not to overestimate how much time your tasks will take: the more time you dedicate to working on something, the more you will naturally prolong your work, which hurts productivity. Be firm with yourself when deciding how much time to allocate to a major, resource-intensive task.

If you don’t consider yourself a morning person and aren’t sure you can tackle a heavy workload right from the start of the day, that’s not necessarily a problem. I’ve written about the importance of eating the frog — or rather, tackling your biggest task of the day as soon as you get up, which is part of the traditional 3-3-3 structure — and while I’ve tried it myself, I’m just not that kind of person. That’s not to say I can’t work in a 3-3-3 setting, so don’t feel like you can’t either.

Play around with technique, perhaps starting later in the morning and pushing back your lunch. I find this approach helpful because, truth be told, I don’t really get serious until around 10:30 a.m. each day. Because I’m a slower person in the morning, I rearrange my 3-3-3, tackling maintenance tasks earlier in the day, which helps me feel motivated and productive: eliminating things like responding to emails clears my mind so I can more easily focus on my more important tasks later.

The key to success with a technique like this is not to force yourself to fit a mold, but to adapt the method to your best working habits, giving yourself a little extra structure, within reason. The goal here is to be discerning about what you do 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 sets this method apart from other productivity hacks is those three hours of deep work. Usually, getting to it first means you’ll be fresh, focused, and more likely to be able to concentrate on a task without getting distracted. Whether you stick to the traditional structure of doing three hours of deep work first in your day or modify the 3-3-3 schedule, be sure to keep those three hours free of emails, texts, small talk, or other menial tasks to the best of your ability.

Deep work generates significant productivity, so you’ll get a lot out of it if you commit to it, but you can’t stay in that mindset forever. You’ll reach the peak after about three hours, so it’s best to have these other three smaller tasks lined up and ready to go so you can stay productive even while downshifting to less demanding responsibilities. After three hours in the zone, you should find that these 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 next day’s work, put the finishing touches on what you worked on during those three hours of intense concentration, or, like me, get the more boring stuff done so you can think about something else.

You can use this technique to tackle seven different tasks of varying levels of urgency or to break a major project into smaller pieces, based on your daily needs. Just make sure you follow the process.