The Ivy Lee Method: Ivy Lee and Charles Schwab Story

Introduction

At the beginning of the 20th century, Ivy Ledbetter Lee was one of the most influential people in public relations in America. He was also a very successful businessman. In 1918, Charles Schwab was one of the wealthiest people in the world who owned the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. He invited Ivy Lee over for a consultation to boost the productivity of his team. When Schwab asked how much he should pay Lee for his services, Lee said “Nothing at all. But when you see the results in three months, write me a cheque for whatever you feel it’s worth to you.” After three months, Charles Schwab was so much satisfied with the productivity of the simple method given by Lee and with the overall progress of his business that he wrote Ivy Lee a cheque for $25,000 which is equivalent to $400,000 today.

The Ivy Lee Method

The Ivy Lee Method is a simple and relevant method that is more than a hundred years old. It is quite efficient as it focuses on prioritizing and eliminating the insignificant things from your daily schedule. Ivy Lee Method includes assigning yourself a maximum of six important tasks per day, listing them in the order of their importance from most important to least important, and then, working on it completing each one in that order. You must not begin the next task until you fully complete the one before it, in the list. If there is any unfinished task, move it to the top of the next day’s list of six tasks.

This method is extremely simple and effective, and it consists of four basic rules:
1. At the end of each working day, write down the six most important things that you need to accomplish tomorrow. Don’t write more than six tasks.
2. You need to prioritize those six tasks in the order of their true importance.
3. On the next day, focus only on the first task and work on it until it is finished. After finishing the first task, move on to the second task.
4. You must approach the rest of your list in the same way and if there are any unfinished tasks at the end of the day, move them to the top of the new list of six tasks for the next day.
Repeat this process every working day.
This strategy seems to be quite simple, but when Schwab and his executive team at Bethlehem Steel gave it a try, Schwab was so delighted with the progress of his company after three months that he called Lee into his office and gave him a check for $25,000.

Conclusion

The Ivy Lee method is a 100-year-old strategy. It helps people become more productive at work. You need to optimize your schedule in order to make the most out of your every workday. It's simple enough to actually work and forces you to make tough decisions. This is what makes it even more effective as it removes the friction of starting. It makes you work but focused on one task at one time as mastery requires focus and consistency. The Ivy Lee method not only makes you productive in your work but also in other areas of your life. Life becomes much easier and more organised. Therefore, we must all use this method in our day-to-day lives to make use of our true potential and increase our productivity in all areas of life.