February 26, 2025 | Read Online

MGMT Minute: The 3-Minute Priority Reset

A simple framework to help you and your team focus on what truly matters.

Read time: 1 minute

Picking what task to do first can often take just as long as actually completing one.

And as managers, we just don't have that time to waste.

Enter the 1-2-3 Rule: A streamlined way to structure your day in just 3 minutes.

Here's how it works:

1. Deep Work on Your Top Priority (3 hours)

• Define what success looks like at the end of this block
• Break it into smaller chunks to ensure steady progress
• Take a mid-session break, but don't open Slack or email

2. Break the Bottleneck Meetings (1 hour each)

• Schedule these later in the day during collaboration windows
• One meeting focuses on unblocking one of your priorities
• The other helps a team member move their work forward

3. Urgent Clear-Out Sprint (1 hour)

• Spend 30 minutes knocking out pressing tasks
• Use the next 30 to diagnose why it's urgent and fix it

Why it works:

You're forced to prioritize the truly important work
You get a balance of strategic and tactical tasks
You help prevent the next wave of urgent fires

Pro tip: Use this method with your team. Have each member share their 1-2-3 plan.

It's a super quick way to align priorities and spot potential bottlenecks.

Remember: the goal is never perfection. It's progress.

Lead on,
Dave

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