Backlogs are infinite. Attention is not. Every productivity system eventually collapses under its own weight — unless it has a pruning ritual built in.
Here's the smallest system that has actually stuck for us: three lists, one weekly review, done in 15 minutes every Friday.
The three lists
- Today — no more than 3 things.
- This week — no more than 10 things.
- Someday — everything else, no limit.
That's it. No tags, no projects, no priorities, no calendar integration.
The Friday review (15 minutes)
Every Friday, in this order:
- Look at "Today" — celebrate what you shipped. Move unfinished items down.
- Look at "This week" — kill anything that no longer matters. Pull 3 forward to next Monday's "Today".
- Look at "Someday" — delete anything you wouldn't miss.
Why it works
Most productivity systems fail because they add cognitive load. This one removes it. Three lists fit on a Post-it. The daily decision is trivial: "is this a Today thing, a this-week thing, or a someday thing?"
Tools that help
Any plain text app works. Apple Notes, a .txt file, a paper notebook. If you want a digital timer for focused sessions, use our free Unix Timestamp Converter alongside a Pomodoro timer of your choice. If you write — Word Counter is genuinely useful.