Prioritizing
The 3-3-3 method: 3 hours, 3 tasks, 3 maintenance jobs
Updated · Done Enough
In this guide (10 parts)
The 3-3-3 method splits your day into three parts: about 3 hours on your most important project, 3 shorter tasks, and 3 maintenance activities. Once those are done, the day counts as a good one. It suits people with one project that needs steady progress and a few hours they can protect for it.
Where the 3-3-3 method comes from
The author Oliver Burkeman described this approach in his email newsletter, The Imperfectionist. Inc. reported it on March 23, 2022, quoting his three parts: three hours on his most important current project with a specific goal for the day, three shorter tasks (often urgent or “sticky” ones he’d been avoiding), and three maintenance activities.
The three parts
| Part | What goes here | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 3 hours | Your most important current project, with a clear goal for today | Write the first draft of chapter 2 |
| 3 shorter tasks | Urgent to-dos or tasks you’ve been avoiding, usually a few minutes each | Call the dentist, send the invoice, reply to the landlord |
| 3 maintenance activities | Things that keep daily life running | Laundry, dishes, a 20-minute walk |
How to plan a 3-3-3 day
- Brain dump first. Write everything down so you’re not choosing from memory. Use the brain dump template.
- Choose the project and today’s goal. “Work on the website” is too loose; “finish the About page” gives you a finish line.
- Block the 3 hours. Put them where your energy is best. Two 90-minute blocks work too.
- Pick 3 short tasks. Start with the ones you’ve been avoiding.
- Pick 3 maintenance jobs. The routine things that pile up when skipped.
- Stop there. Anything extra is a bonus.
A filled-in 3-3-3 example
Someone with a day job and an online shop, on a Saturday:
| Part | Plan |
|---|---|
| 3 hours (goal) | Photograph and list 4 new products in the shop |
| 3 shorter tasks | Answer two customer messages · Order shipping labels · Fix the typo on the shop banner |
| 3 maintenance | Grocery run · Two loads of laundry · Wipe the kitchen counters |
3-3-3 for busy days
Many parents, shift workers and caregivers don’t have 3 free hours. You can keep the shape and shrink the size:
| Standard | Busy-day version |
|---|---|
| 3 hours on the project | One protected block, even 45 minutes |
| 3 shorter tasks | 2 shorter tasks |
| 3 maintenance jobs | 3 small ones (one load of laundry, not all of it) |
3-3-3 vs. 1-3-5
| Compare | 3-3-3 method | 1-3-5 rule |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | Time on one project | Number of tasks |
| Best for | A main project that needs steady progress | A long list of separate tasks |
| Needs | A protected block of time | A rough sense of task sizes |
| Weak spot | Hard without a free block | Doesn’t say which task matters most |
How to protect the 3-hour block
The 3-3-3 method lives or dies on the block. Without it, you have six small tasks and no progress on what matters. Ways to keep it:
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Messages break it up | Close email and chat; turn on do-not-disturb for the block |
| Meetings land on it | Put the block on your calendar as a busy event |
| You start late | Start with a 10-minute warm-up on the project, not on email |
| Three hours feels huge | Split it into two 90-minute blocks, or three 1-hour blocks |
| You don’t know what to do in it | Write a specific goal for the block the night before |
The goal matters more than the hours. “Finish the About page” in two hours is a good day. Three hours of “working on the website” without a finish line usually isn’t.
Common 3-3-3 mistakes
- Treating the short tasks as small tasks. Burkeman’s short tasks are often the urgent or sticky ones you’ve been avoiding. Use them to clear those, not to tick off easy wins.
- Skipping maintenance. Laundry, dishes and a walk look optional, but skipping them for a week makes the next week harder.
- Changing projects every day. The method is built for steady progress on one thing. If the project changes daily, use the 1-3-5 rule instead.
If you have ADHD
Three hours of focus on one project can feel out of reach. You can keep the method’s shape and change the parts that don’t fit:
- Use short blocks. Three 25- to 45-minute sessions on the project, with breaks between, instead of one long stretch.
- Write the first move for the block. “Work on the essay” is hard to start; “open the doc and reread the last paragraph” isn’t.
- Do the short tasks before the block if they nag. A sticky task left undone can pull focus all morning.
- Make maintenance visible. Put the three jobs on a sticky note where you’ll see them, or attach each to something you already do.
- Plan for stuck days. On days when the project won’t start, swap to 1-1-3: one short session, one short task, three maintenance jobs.
The Stuck-day printable workbook in our shop has pages for exactly those days, with pick-3 sheets and first-step prompts. If you can’t start the project block at all, read how to stop procrastinating.
Where 3-3-3 fits with other methods
If your day is mostly separate errands, the 1-3-5 rule fits better. To decide which part of the day comes first, eat the frog: on most 3-3-3 days, the frog is the project block. If you can’t tell which project matters most, sort first with the Eisenhower matrix. For more methods side by side, see how to prioritize tasks.
FAQ
What is Oliver Burkeman's 3-3-3 method?
It's a way to plan a day that he described in his newsletter, The Imperfectionist: about 3 hours on your most important project, 3 shorter tasks such as urgent to-dos, and 3 maintenance activities that keep life running. Inc. reported it in March 2022.
What is the 3-3-3 rule for time management?
It splits your day into three parts: one focused block of about 3 hours on your main project, three short tasks, and three routine maintenance jobs. Anything beyond that is optional.
What are three effective techniques for managing time?
Three simple ones are capping your daily list (1-3-5 or 3-3-3), sorting tasks by urgency and importance (the Eisenhower matrix), and doing your hardest task first (eat the frog). Each fixes a different problem, so pick by what's going wrong.