ABC method for task prioritization: the ABCDE version

Your biggest job might not be your A. The ABC method ranks a to-do list by one test: what happens if this doesn't get done? Size, effort and noise don't come into it. Brian Tracy's ABCDE version adds two more letters, D for delegate and E for eliminate, so the list gets shorter as well as sorted.

This guide covers the five letters, the one rule that makes the method work, a worked example, and how to set it up in dypt with priorities and tags.

Where the ABC method comes from

Ranking tasks as A, B or C is an old idea. Alan Lakein popularised it in the 1970s in How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life, and many time-management writers have used versions of it since.

The version here is Brian Tracy's ABCDE method. Tracy didn't invent ABC ranking, but his write-up is the one most people now follow: it adds D and E, numbers your A tasks, and links the top one to his "eat that frog" idea.

The ABCDE method, letter by letter

Start by writing down everything you have to do tomorrow. Then give every item a letter.

• A: serious consequences if you don't do it. Tracy calls A tasks "the frogs of your life". Missing a client deadline, a rent payment or a key appointment are A tasks.
• B: mild consequences. You should do it, and someone may be inconvenienced if you don't, but it matters far less than an A. Tracy calls these "tadpoles".
• C: no consequences either way. Nice to do. A coffee with a colleague, tidying your downloads folder, browsing for a new desk lamp.
• D: something you can delegate. If someone else can do it, hand it over and spend that time on your A tasks.
• E: something you can eliminate. It's no longer needed, or it was never worth doing. Cross it off for good.

If you have more than one A, number them: A1, A2, A3. Your A1 is the task you start first, and Tracy calls it your biggest frog. If that sounds familiar, it's the same idea as eat the frog: do the important job you're avoiding before anything else.

The rule that makes it work

Tracy's rule is short: never do a B task while an A task is waiting, and never do a C while an A or B is waiting.

This is where the method earns its keep. C tasks are often quick and pleasant, so they get done first. B tasks feel productive. The rule stops either of them crowding out the A that actually has consequences.

When a new task turns up during the day, give it a letter before you start on it. Most new tasks turn out to be B or C, and the rule tells you to leave them until your A tasks are done.

A worked example

Here's a made-up list for a Thursday:

Task	Letter	Why
Send the signed lease back to the letting agent (due Friday)	A1	Miss it and you could lose the flat
Finish the slides for Monday's client pitch	A2	The pitch can't happen without them
Reply to the neighbour about the shared hedge	B	Polite to answer soon; nothing breaks if it waits a day
Reorganise the photos on your phone	C	Nice, no consequence either way
Book the van for the move	D	Your partner offered to do it
Research standing desks you won't buy until next year	E	Not needed now

Notice that the biggest job on the list, the slides, isn't A1. The lease is smaller, but it has the most serious consequence and the nearest deadline, so it goes first. Size isn't importance.

Common mistakes

• Marking everything A. If everything is an A, the method can't tell you where to start. Be honest about consequences; most tasks are B or C.
• Ranking by size or effort. A big task can be a C. A five-minute task can be an A.
• Forgetting D and E. Delegating and eliminating are what make the list shorter. Without them, ABC only reorders it.
• Starting with B because it's easier. That's the exact habit the rule is there to break. If your A1 feels too big to start, break it into smaller steps rather than skipping it.
• Never re-ranking. Letters change as deadlines move. Re-letter the list each day.

How to do the ABCDE method in dypt

dypt doesn't have an ABCDE mode, but its priorities and tags cover all five letters.

1. A, B and C: use priority. Set A tasks to High, B tasks to Mid and C tasks to Low. Priority is built in, so you can filter and sort your whole list by it.
2. A1, A2, A3: put them in order. Within a parent task you can drag tasks into order, so put A1 at the top. If your A tasks sit in different projects, add a tag called frog to your A1 so you can find it in one click.
3. D: tag it delegate. dypt doesn't assign tasks to other people, so hand the job over however you normally would. If they use dypt, you can share the task with them. Keep the delegate tag on it so you can filter for everything you're waiting on and check back.
4. E: delete it. If it isn't worth doing, don't keep it on the list.
5. Follow the rule with a filter. Filter for High priority and work through it before you look at Mid. When nothing High is left, move on to Mid, then Low.
6. Track the time it takes. Give each task a time estimate, and record how long it actually took when you complete it. That shows whether your A tasks are getting the time they need. Time reports that total it all by priority or tag, so you can see your A, B and C split at a glance, are on our roadmap.

If an A task feels too big to start, use dypt's AI task breakdown to split it into smaller steps, then make the first step your A1. You can read more about priorities, deadlines and reminders and custom tags on their feature pages.

Try it on tomorrow's list

Tonight, write tomorrow's tasks down and give each one a letter. Number your A tasks, delegate the Ds, delete the Es, and start tomorrow with A1.

If you'd like the letters, the filter and the breakdown in one place, try it in dypt, free to start.

Sources and further reading

• Brian Tracy, "How to set priorities using the ABCDE method": the letters, the A1 numbering and the B rule, in his words.
• Alan Lakein, How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life (1973): the classic book that popularised A, B and C ranking.
• Eat the frog: our guide to starting with your A1.
• The Eisenhower matrix: a different test, sorting by urgency and importance rather than by consequences.