The Rule of Five

by Caryl Teh

No one feels good after overeating. In the same way, no one feels good when they have too many things on their work plate. One way you might be able to avoid that is by using the “Rule of Five”. Today, we’ll cover what it is and how it can be a powerful tool to help yourself & your team!

First, What’s the “Rule of Five”?

? Two tasks you’re currently working on

? Two tasks you plan to work on next

❌ One task that you think your teammates might be expecting you to be working on, but you aren’t actually planning to work on it (right now at least)

Why is this Rule So Handy?

1. Two’s company, three’s a crowd

No, it’s not because one hand has five fingers. Well, not exactly. It’s more about your brain. In terms of productivity, your brain can really only absorb and process a limited amount of information at once. So keeping your ongoing tasks to two will make you prioritise and help you stay focused while giving you something else to switch to if you need a break.

2. The day is do-able!

For avoidance of idealism, we acknowledge that tasks don’t come to you in neat little brown-paper-wrapped bundles of five. Rather, we’re saying that learning to prioritise might do wonders to help you start tackling that mountain. Limiting your day’s to-do list to four things will make the day seem more feasible and easier to get started.

3. Managers rejoice!

You will only have 5 items per person to check on. Very helpful if you need a clear status update on each project topping each team members’ list but you’re pressed for time because the first of your day’s long list of manager meetings will be starting in 3 minutes.

4. Manage team expectations

The “two things that you plan to work on next” create a realistic roadmap so your co-workers know what to expect. If there’s a project they think should be given a higher priority, then they can bring it to your attention.

Or maybe it’s going to require collaboration with other teams – your list will remind you to give them a heads up on what tasks might be coming their way. Here are some examples:

You’re a lead developer and have listed that next week you’ll start developing an exciting new feature. This alerts the marketing team that they might need to start planning promotional materials.
Let’s say you’re on a large legal team reviewing contracts, the two documents you plan to look at next lets your paralegals know what materials they need to prepare, your other team members will know which contracts are already spoken for, and your supervisor will be able to plan for the contracts nearing completion.
Perhaps you’re a content manager mapping out your editorial calendar. It would help if your photo editors know which articles’ graphics need to be touched up.

5. About that last task

About that last task that people might be expecting you to work on but you aren’t actually planning on work on (right now at least), it might help your team if you clearly list why you aren’t working on it. It could be things like a lack of time, expertise, or simply because you realised after some thought that the idea isn’t feasible or right for this particular project.

It’s more satisfactory for everyone when expectations meet reality. So if you’re having some trouble disappointing unclear expectations, or getting on top of your to-do list, we hope this “Rule of Five” will help. You can do it! Just take things one task at a time.