As a freelance writer, I have a lot of freedom to schedule my days.

This has major upsides, but also poses some serious difficulties.

During an annual reflection, I realized I was struggling in two main areas:

1. I couldn’t seem to end my day with a feeling of satisfaction; I never felt like I had done enough work. Everything felt incomplete, so I was wired and tired instead of relaxed.

2. While I was getting a lot of writing and reading done, I was neglecting chores and admin tasks, like cleaning the AC unit filter or writing thank you cards, which pile up and cause stress and overwhelm.

Earlier, this week, in a Tim Ferriss podcast, I came across a daily planning system called the 1:2:3 Method—a tool from Greg Mckeown’s book Essentialism.

Immediately, I saw its value and implemented it.

I’ve already noticed dramatic boosts to my productivity and mental state. It’s helping me accomplish those little tasks and feel relaxed and satisfied at the end of the day (at least, more than I was before).

After all, if you don’t define what “done” looks like, you’ll never feel done.

The 1:2:3 Prioritization Framework for planning your day is simple:

You write down:

• 1 big and critical project you want to move the needle on (for me this is either Substack essays or my ebook)

• 2 urgent and important tasks that would lead to consequences if neglected (for me this is often freelance work)

• 3 maintenance tasks, like household chores, admin work, personal finance tasks, errands, etc., (this one has been the most impactful for me)

Definitely recommend it if you don’t already have a system you like for planning your day and prioritizing tasks.