What is ABCDE method?

A secret weapon of the most successful people

The ABCDE prioritization and planning method is a simple yet effective way to organize your tasks. It was invented by Alan Lakein and popularized by Brian Tracy, a self-help guru. It should not be confused with the Eisenhower Matrix, which is a similar method but with a different approach, neither with ABCDE goal setting method, which is a different concept.

How it works?

With ABCDE method all tasks fall into one of five categories. Learn these five letters and meaning behind them and you will be able to organize your life so you can achieve your dreams:

  • Tasks you must do. There will be huge consequences if you do not perform these(e.g. paying taxes, missing appointment with a doctor)
  • Tasks you should do. Something you should definitely do, but no huge consequences otherwise(e.g. client meetings).
  • could do tasks. No real consequences for not doing these. Nice to have. Something that can improve your life but not required(e.g. learning to play guitar).
  • delegate tasks that others can do for you(writing a blog post).
  • eliminate tasks you can avoid, or tasks that are not really necessary(buying a new phone, if the old one still works).

To summarize, ABCDE helps you delegate and eliminate the less important work, so you can commit money and effort to the most important work.

ABCDE Planner

It is financial planning and budgeting tool based on ABCDE principle, with a simple twist. Every task, other than priority, has cost and time estimate added. By being able to move tasks across different priorities, you can actively change your overall cost and estimate in order to achieve optimal budget for your projects.

Read blog post to learn more about how ABCDE Planner is different than similar tools.