Ivy Lee Method
Updated 2026-08-13
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The Ivy Lee method, given by the efficiency consultant Ivy Lee to Bethlehem Steel in 1918, consists of writing the six most important tasks for the next day each evening, ranking them by priority, working on the first until it is done before starting the second, and carrying anything unfinished to the next day's list. The core proposition is that a hard limit on the list plus a forced order converts diffuse effort into completion. The key qualification is that the method is a discipline, and its benefit disappears the moment the list grows past six.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- List cap: write six items, no more, so the constraint keeps the choice real. - Forced ranking: order the six before the day starts, so no choice remains open during work. - Serial execution: finish the current item before touching the next one.
Anchor fast decisions
A day's effort is consumed not only by work but by choosing what to work on, and an open list keeps that cost charged all day; a ranked list of six pays the choice once, the night before. Serial execution removes the switching cost that multitasking charges between tasks, and the small list makes completion visible, which is what sustains the discipline the next evening.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Leeverified
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