I followed a brain expert's 3-item to-do list strategy for a month and learned valuable insights.

I'm a big believer in the to-do list.

I often create a list of tasks and priorities when I begin work, including those that can help me advance larger projects and those that can be completed in the near future. These lists can contain up to ten items.

I was intrigued when I heard David Rock, the founder and CEO of the NeuroLeadership Institute, speak at the Fast Company Innovation Festival this year and suggest including only the three most important items on one's to-do list every day.

He later revealed that the brain can handle three items more efficiently than four or more, making us feel more capable and recall them more easily.

For approximately a month, I restricted my daily list to three items. Here are my findings.

I felt a sense of relief from having so little to do

There were definitely benefits to using this method.

I feel overwhelmed by the length of my lists, as I struggle to complete all the items and end up with unchecked tasks at the end of the day, leading to guilt and a lack of accomplishment. Even on productive days, it feels like I've achieved very little.

Breaking down the tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces made it easier to tackle them and reduce the overwhelming sense of guilt.

I have ADHD: I need to make longer lists

That said, there were challenges with using this method.

Even if some tasks were quick ones, I usually had more than three tasks to do every day. Unforeseen tasks like multiple rounds of edits would arise, making it difficult for me to add them to my list.

To keep my tasks organized in my brain, I need to write them down, even for small tasks like checking emails. However, when I limited myself to three items, I had to remember them, which was stressful.

While Rock's method may reduce stress in workloads, it may not be suitable for all jobs or individuals.

I will limit my daily tasks to five items, with four items written in the morning and the fifth left open for unexpected tasks. I will also put any tasks that can be done another day on the list for that day to prevent forgetting.

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