ABCDE Method

What the ABCDE Method Is

The ABCDE method is a task prioritization technique created by Brian Tracy in his book Eat That Frog. It assigns every task on your list a letter grade from A (most important) to E (eliminate), then you work through the letters in order. It is one of the simplest and fastest prioritization frameworks available.

The method takes 2 to 5 minutes to apply to a daily task list. There is no grid, no scoring, and no math. You read each task, assign a letter, and start with your A tasks. This speed makes it ideal for personal daily planning where heavier frameworks like weighted scoring would be overkill.

The Five Priority Levels

A: Must do. Tasks with serious consequences if not completed. A deadline today, a deliverable a client is waiting for, a commitment you made to your manager. These are your non negotiable items. Work on A tasks first, always.

B: Should do. Tasks with mild consequences if postponed. Someone might be inconvenienced or a minor deadline slips, but nothing breaks. B tasks only get attention after all A tasks are done.

C: Nice to do. Tasks with no consequences if skipped. Getting coffee with a colleague, organizing your desktop, reading an industry article. These have value but zero urgency. Do them only after A and B tasks are complete.

D: Delegate. Tasks that someone else can do. If a task does not require your specific skills or authority, hand it off. This frees time for your A tasks. See the Delegation guide for how to do this effectively.

E: Eliminate. Tasks that should not be on your list at all. Outdated commitments, tasks you agreed to out of politeness, work that no longer aligns with your goals. Delete them. The hardest part of prioritization is not deciding what to do first. It is deciding what to stop doing entirely.

How to Apply the ABCDE Method

Write your task list for the day. Read each task and assign a letter. If you have multiple A tasks, number them A1, A2, A3 in the order you will work on them. Do the same for B and C tasks. Start with A1 and do not move to A2 until A1 is complete or blocked.

The numbering within letters is what separates the ABCDE method from a simple high/medium/low priority system. It forces you to sequence, not just categorize. You know exactly which task to start with and which comes next.

When the ABCDE Method Works Best

The method is designed for personal daily task lists of 5 to 15 items. It works well for knowledge workers, freelancers, and managers who start each day with a mix of urgent deliverables, ongoing projects, and administrative tasks. It is fast enough to use every morning as part of a daily planning routine.

It pairs well with other productivity techniques. Apply ABCDE to your task list in the morning, then use time blocking to schedule your A tasks into specific calendar slots, and use the Pomodoro technique to maintain focus during execution.

When the ABCDE Method Does Not Work

The method is not designed for team prioritization. It lacks the shared visibility and discussion that MoSCoW or a priority matrix provides. It also does not account for effort: an A task that takes 8 hours and an A task that takes 15 minutes get the same label. For tasks with varying effort levels, pairing ABCDE with time estimation (“A1: Draft proposal, 3 hours”) compensates for this gap.

It also assumes you can accurately assess consequences, which requires experience and context. A junior team member might label everything as A because they cannot distinguish between genuine urgency and perceived urgency. In that case, a brief check in with a manager to validate A labels helps calibrate.