Stage 6 · Lesson 2 of 7

Choose three priorities

A to-do list with thirty items gives no direction. Each week, choose three priorities: the outcomes that would make the week a success if nothing else got done. For a student, that might be finishing a lab report, revising two chapters and sending three internship applications.

For someone working, it might be shipping one feature, preparing for a review and calling home. Everything else is secondary. Saying yes to these means saying no, or not yet, to other things, including some requests from friends, extra events or side projects. Write the three at the top of your plan and look at them each morning.

Common trapchoosing ten priorities, which is the same as having none, and ending the week busy but with nothing important finished.

A question to check yourself and an AI practice session come when you add the roadmap to your account. Add it

Resources for this stage

Practise

Toggl Track
Track actual time for a week to fix your estimates and see where hours go

Keep handy

Notion
Keep your weekly review, priorities and project lists on one page

Also worth your time

Deep Work (Cal Newport)ReadPaid
Cal Newport on scheduling and protecting focused work, with practical rules

Struggling right now? If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact local emergency services or a crisis line: Find a helpline (any country), Umang (Pakistan), Tele-MANAS, 14416 (India).