Productivity template

The 1-3-5 Rule: Free Template and How to Use It

Nine tasks a day, sorted by size before the day starts. Free printable daily and weekly templates, an example day, a lighter version for ADHD days, and how it compares with the Ivy Lee method.

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Most to-do lists fail in one of two ways: too many items, or items of wildly different sizes mixed together. The 1-3-5 rule fixes both at once. It caps the list, and it makes you decide which single task deserves the best part of your day.

What counts as big, medium and small

SizeHow manyRough timeExamples
Big12 to 3 hoursWrite the proposal draft, study one chapter, do the tax return
Medium330 to 60 minutes eachPrepare a meeting, a long email reply, a grocery run
Small55 to 15 minutes eachBook a haircut, pay a bill, reply to one message

Together that is roughly a full working day. If your days are full of meetings, shrink it: a 1-2-3 day is still a 1-3-5 day in spirit.

Free 1-3-5 rule templates (PDF)

The daily sheet gives the big task its own box, with a line for the first step and a line for what "done" means. The weekly sheet puts Monday to Friday side by side, each with one big, three medium and five small lines, so you can spread the big tasks across the week.

  • Printable 1-3-5 rule daily planner with one big task, three medium tasks and five small tasks, each with a checkbox

    1-3-5 rule daily template

    One page per day: one big task with a "first step" and "done means" line, three medium and five small tasks with checkboxes, and boxes for parked tasks and tomorrow's big task.

    PDF · A4PDF · US Letter
  • Printable 1-3-5 rule weekly planner with Monday to Friday columns, each split into one big, three medium and five small tasks

    1-3-5 rule weekly template

    Monday to Friday columns with 1 big, 3 medium and 5 small task lines per day, the week's one big goal, and a weekend / next week column. Landscape.

    PDF · A4PDF · US Letter

Prefer six ranked tasks? Get the Ivy Lee template →

How to use the 1-3-5 rule

  1. Write everything down first. Empty your head onto a scrap list. Do not sort yet.
  2. Pick the one big task. Ask: if only one thing gets done tomorrow, which one makes the day a success? That is the big one.
  3. Pick three medium and five small tasks. Choose by size, not by order of importance. Everything else goes in the parked box, not on today.
  4. Do the big task first. Start it while your energy is highest, before email and messages. Write its first step so starting is easy.
  5. Review in the evening. Tick what is done, move what is not, and write tomorrow's big task while today is still fresh.

Example 1-3-5 day

Notice what is missing: "check email" and "Slack". Ongoing activities are not tasks. Leave them off, or they take every slot.

Weeklane on iPhone: one day with nine tasks in 1-3-5 order, from Finish the first draft of the project proposal to Water the plants
The example day in Weeklane: one big task first, then three medium and five small.

The ADHD tweak: make it smaller and more concrete

Many people with ADHD like the 1-3-5 rule because it limits choice. A few changes make it work better on hard days:

For a full weekly routine built around these ideas, see the ADHD weekly planner guide. This is planning advice, not medical advice.

1-3-5 rule vs the Ivy Lee method

1-3-5 ruleIvy Lee method
Tasks per dayUp to 9Up to 6
How you chooseBy size: 1 big, 3 medium, 5 smallBy importance, ranked 1 to 6
Order of workBig task first, the rest flexiblyStrictly top-down, finish #1 before #2
Best forDays with a mix of deep work and errandsDays where focus on a few key tasks matters most

They combine well: rank the three medium tasks the Ivy Lee way, or use Ivy Lee on work days and 1-3-5 on days full of small errands. The Ivy Lee method guide has its own printable sheet.

Using the 1-3-5 rule in an app

In Weeklane, each day of the week is its own short list, and nine tasks fit comfortably in one weekday. Put the big task at the top, then the three medium ones, then the five small ones, and drag to reorder. The Home Screen widget shows the top of today's list, so the big task is the first thing you see. There is also a setting that moves unfinished tasks to today, so yesterday's leftovers do not disappear; re-sort them into your 1, 3 and 5 before you start.

Weeklane on iPhone showing Monday as a short checklist with six tasks and an Add a new task line
One weekday in Weeklane: a short list with room for a full 1-3-5 day.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 1-3-5 rule?

A daily planning rule: plan one big task, three medium tasks and five small tasks for the day, nine at most. You choose the tasks by size before the day starts and do the big one first.

Is nine tasks a day too many?

Not if they are sized honestly: the five small ones take 5 to 15 minutes each. If your day has lots of meetings, use a smaller version such as 1-2-3, and keep the big task.

What if I don't finish the big task?

Move it to tomorrow and make it the big task again, but look at it first. If it keeps rolling over, it is too big: split it into a smaller big task and a medium one, and write the first physical step.

Can I use the 1-3-5 rule for a whole week?

Yes. Plan one big task per weekday, so five big tasks a week, and fill the medium and small slots the evening before each day. The free weekly 1-3-5 template has Monday to Friday columns for exactly that.

Does the 1-3-5 rule work with ADHD?

Many people with ADHD find the cap on choices helps. Shrink it to 1-2-3 on hard days, write the first physical step of the big task, and double your time estimates. It is a planning method, not a treatment.

Is the 1-3-5 template free?

Yes. Both the daily and the weekly 1-3-5 templates are free PDFs in A4 and US Letter, with no email or sign-up.

Run 1-3-5 on your phone

Weeklane shows each day as a short list on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android, with Home Screen widgets. The weekly planner is free; Weeklane Pro has a 7-day free trial.

Download on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle Play

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