Could Do Pad Guide

You have your Could Do Pad and you are ready to use it. It runs on a simple structure called the 1-3-5 method: one big task, three medium tasks, five small tasks, written out fresh each day. Here is exactly how to use it, and why the structure works.

Step 1: One big

Write down the most important task for the day — the one you prioritise above all others. It is usually the task with the biggest impact, not necessarily the longest one. Pick it before you open your inbox. If you let email or messages set your agenda, you end up reacting to other people's priorities instead of your own. Remember: this is something you could do, not something you must — naming it as a choice removes the pressure that makes big tasks easy to avoid.

Step 2: Three medium

Write down three medium-sized tasks. These typically take 30 minutes to an hour, though a task can also count as "medium" because it is more urgent or higher-stakes than the small tasks below it, even if it is quick to do. Try to pick tasks that move something forward rather than just tasks that feel urgent — a full inbox creates a sense of urgency that is not the same as importance.

Step 3: Five small

Write down five small tasks. We recommend including wellbeing tasks here too — if you focus only on work and neglect recovery, your output will suffer over time. The key to sustained performance is building rest into the plan, not bolting it on afterwards. Small tasks also matter for a less obvious reason: unfinished, unwritten tasks tend to keep circling in your head and taking up attention. This is a well-documented pattern in psychology — the Zeigarnik effect, first observed by Bluma Zeigarnik in the 1920s, describes how uncompleted tasks are remembered and mentally rehearsed more than completed ones. Writing a task down and giving it a place on the page reduces that background noise, even before you have done it.

Using the pad day to day

Fill in your 1-3-5 the night before or first thing in the morning, before you check email. Work through the big task first while your attention is freshest. If a task does not get finished, carry it onto tomorrow's sheet rather than treating it as a failure — not everything you plan for a day gets done, and the pad is a working plan, not a scorecard. Tear off each completed sheet and start the next day with a clean page. A cluttered task list makes everything feel equally urgent; the 1-3-5 structure forces a ranking before the day gets a chance to make that decision for you.

It also helps to size tasks honestly. Parkinson's Law — the observation, first made by C. Northcote Parkinson in 1955, that work expands to fill the time available for it — is a useful check on the medium and small categories. If a "small" task keeps sliding into an hour, it probably belongs in the medium column, or it needs a tighter time limit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the benefit of the 1-3-5 system?

The 1-3-5 system helps you make a deliberate call on what matters most before the day starts, rather than reacting to whatever arrives first. By committing to one big task, three medium, and five small, you reduce decision fatigue and give yourself a realistic plan — not a wish list. It is especially useful if you have many competing demands and find prioritisation difficult.

How do I decide which tasks to prioritise?

Consider urgency and importance separately. Urgent tasks require immediate attention; important tasks have significant impact on your goals. The 1-3-5 system in the Could Do Pad helps you apply this thinking daily. If you need a more structured urgency-importance framework, the Priority Pad maps tasks across four quadrants to help you decide what to do first, what to schedule, and what to delete.

Who created the 1-3-5 method?

The 1-3-5 system is a productivity technique that has been in use for many years and is not attributed to a single originator. Its value lies in its simplicity: it forces a meaningful distinction between different levels of priority rather than treating all tasks as equal.

What if I do not finish everything on the list?

That is normal, and the system expects it. Nine tasks written down with intent will usually beat an unranked list of twenty, even if you only finish six or seven. Carry unfinished tasks onto the next sheet. If the same task keeps getting carried over for several days, it is worth asking whether it is genuinely a priority or whether you are avoiding it — the answer changes what you do next.

Should I plan the night before or the morning of?

Either works, but planning the night before means you start the day with a decision already made rather than making it under time pressure. If mornings are when you have the most focus, protect that time for the big task rather than spending it deciding what the big task should be.

The tool that helps

The Could Do Pad gives you a clear daily structure built around what actually matters — without the overwhelm of an unranked to-do list. See the Could Do Pad.