I recall working with a leader who carried a deceptively simple discipline into each day. Before the noise began, he would take a few minutes to decide on three things he wanted to accomplish. Not a long list, not a running tally of tasks—just three priorities that would make the day count. At the end of the day, and sometimes at the end of the week, he would come back to those priorities and check his progress.
At the time, it struck me as practical and efficient. Over the years, I’ve learned that it is a leadership discipline that shows up across a range of thinking on effectiveness and productivity. Whether it’s Greg McKeown’s Essentialism, with its focus on “the vital few,” or Michael Hyatt’s “Big 3” approach, the idea is consistent:
Meaningful progress comes not from doing more, but from doing what matters most.
The Trap of False Urgency
The challenge, of course, is that most days do not unfold that cleanly. John Kotter, in his work on leading change, distinguishes between true urgency and false urgency. True urgency is focused and purposeful; it is driven by what matters. False urgency, on the other hand, is frenetic and reactive. It’s the constant motion that creates the feeling of productivity without necessarily producing meaningful results. For many of us, false urgency begins the moment we open our email. What starts as a quick scan quickly turns into a series of reactions, and before long the day is no longer organized around our priorities, but around everyone else’s.
False urgency begins the moment we let reaction replace intention.
A Small Shift That Made a Big Difference
I’ve certainly experienced this myself. While I may never have fully mastered the “Discipline of Three” the way my colleague described it, I did find my own version of a daily discipline. There was a point when I realized that if I started my day checking my inbox, I had effectively handed over control of my priorities. So I began experimenting with a different approach. Before opening email or taking calls, I would sit down and think about what I wanted the day to represent. What were the two or three things that, if accomplished, would create real value?
I made a point to write those priorities down by hand every day. There’s something about that physical act that slows your thinking just enough to create clarity. It also makes the list feel more intentional, almost like a set of commitments rather than a list of tasks.
What a daily Set of priorities Reveals
What I noticed over time was just as important as the act itself. When an item appeared on my priorities for several days in a row, it was usually signaling something. Either it wasn’t as important as I had initially thought, or it was something I was avoiding. In both cases, the repetition provided valuable feedback. It forced me to reassess my priorities and, at times, to confront my own tendency to procrastinate on the things that required more effort or focus.
Your list doesn’t just guide your day—it reveals your behavior.
If you pay attention to what keeps showing up, it will tell you where your priorities may be misaligned or where your follow-through is falling short.
Why This Matters for Leaders
This is where this simple practice becomes especially meaningful for leaders. It’s not just about getting things done; it’s about creating a rhythm of purposeful action and accountability. Deciding in advance what matters, checking back on it, and learning from the results builds a level of discipline that helps cut through the noise of false urgency.
I’ve come to believe that leadership often begins not with doing more, but with the discipline to decide what truly deserves our attention and what will create value for our teams and the organization.
A Better Measure of the Day
Over time, this practice changed how I experienced my work. Instead of ending the day wondering where the time went, I could point to specific, meaningful progress. I could begin to see how small, focused efforts accumulate, and with that came a growing sense that I was actually making a difference. Not because I did more, but because I chose to do what mattered.
Lead Forward. Reach Higher.
