The 3-Item Done List: Finish More by Choosing Less

Long to-do lists hide the work that matters. A three-item done list brings it back into view and leaves room for surprise.

Choose three that count

Pick three outcomes, not chores. Write them as completions: send proposal, train 20 minutes, call client. If an item requires many steps, turn it into the next visible step only.

Timeboxing that flexes

Give each item a light timebox. If the day shifts, move the box, not the item. The list is short enough to survive real life.

One list, one place

Keep the list where you begin work. If a new task appears, park it in a separate capture list and return to the three. Deep work grows when your attention does not scatter.

End-of-day check

Review the three items and name one win and one bottleneck. Use that to choose tomorrow’s three. Over time, the list becomes a record of what actually moved the needle.

Why it works

You protect scarce attention for the few actions that create most of the progress and let the rest fit around them.