In this module you will
- Letter every action A to E.
- Leave no B ahead of an open A.
The idea
In step 4 of the form (Schedule), today’s actions already start with your three as A actions. Add the rest, give each an ABCDE letter, and tick Done as you go. The list sorts itself A to E, so a B never sits above an open A: “Letter each one: never touch a B while an A remains.”
A carries serious consequences. B has mild ones: someone is mildly inconvenienced. C has none whatsoever. D is delegated, and if you can delegate it you must. E is eliminated.
New requests that arrive during the day go into the same list with the same Add line: “Letter it before you do it. Most arrivals are C.”
Step by step
Why Sorting needs the whole list in view.
Add every other action for the day; your three are already there.
Why Consequence, not pressure, sets the letter.
Letter each one A to E; the planner flags any left without a letter.
Worked example: the CEO
A: Portfolio choices with the CFO and CRO · A: Chair the operating review · A: Strategic hours · B: Approve the regional sales plan · C: Industry newsletter · D: Integration-system escalation → COO · E: Weekly status deck nobody reads.
Practice it in the Daily Management form
This module is step 4 of the form: Schedule today’s actions. What you enter there is saved on this device, so you can come back to it.
Open step 4Exercise
- Fill at least five rows and letter every one.
- Add one arrival and letter it before acting on it.
Original tools
- Open the original Daily Practice Sheets (on compassperformanceinc.com, opens in a new tab)The complete original sheets: PDF in English, French or Spanish, Letter or A4, half-letter and pocket sizes.
Sources and attribution
- External source The frog, the ABCDE method, the law of three and single handling follow Brian Tracy, Eat That Frog! (Berrett-Koehler; “Apply the Law of Three” is chapter 8 of the 2nd and 3rd editions). Summarised and applied by Compass; not endorsed by the author. Source (opens in a new tab)