The ABC task prioritization method: how to rank your to-do list
The ABC task prioritization method is the simplest reliable way to turn an overwhelming to-do list into a clear plan: label every task A, B, or C, and always work your A tasks first. It cuts through a list where everything looks equally urgent and tells you exactly what to do next. Don't Forget builds the ABC method straight into your daily planner — and escalates what you keep avoiding.
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What is the ABC method?
The ABC method ranks each task by consequence, not by how you feel about it:
A — must-do. Something real breaks today if it doesn't happen: a deadline, a client, a bill, a promise. These come first, always.
B — should-do. It matters and it's coming, but nothing burns down if it waits a day. B tasks are tomorrow's A tasks.
C — nice-to-do. Low stakes. If a C never gets done, no real harm. C tasks are the ones that quietly eat your day if you let them.
The one rule that makes it work: you don't start a B until every A is done, and you don't touch a C while an A is open. It sounds strict, but that's the whole point — it stops the easy, satisfying C tasks from crowding out the hard A that actually matters. The ABC idea is a classic of time management, and it has lasted because it is almost impossible to overthink.
How to use ABC task prioritization
Four steps, about two minutes each morning:
1. Brain-dump. Get every task out of your head and into one list.
2. Label each one A, B, or C. Don't agonize — first instinct is usually right.
3. Cap your A's at three. If everything is an A, nothing is. Pick the three with real consequences today.
4. Work top-down and re-rank tomorrow. Do the A's, then B's. Whatever's left gets re-ranked the next morning.
In Don't Forget, that ranking is the app, not a habit you have to remember: label a task and it sorts to the top or drops to the bottom automatically, and the daily planner shows you the two or three things that actually move your day.
Why ABC beats a flat to-do list
A normal list treats a two-minute errand and a career-defining deadline as the same size, so you do the errand — it feels good to check something off — and the deadline slides another day. ABC removes that trap by forcing a decision about consequence before you start working. You stop confusing motion with progress.
What if you keep avoiding your A tasks?
Ranking a task doesn't make you do it. That's where most systems quietly fail. Don't Forget adds the missing piece: it notices what you keep skipping and escalates a task the longer it sits untouched, so the thing you've been avoiding rises to the top of your day where you can't pretend you didn't see it. See the full reminder system for how that works.
Run the ABC method automatically with Don't Forget
Don't Forget is a free ABC-priority task planner and daily reminder app. It ranks your list, escalates what slips, and syncs across your devices — so the method runs itself instead of relying on your willpower. Free to start; Premium adds unlimited history, analytics, and web-push reminders.
ABC task prioritization — frequently asked questions
What is the ABC task prioritization method?
It ranks each task by consequence — A (must-do), B (should-do), C (nice-to-do) — and you always do the A tasks first. Don't Forget applies it automatically.
How is ABC different from a normal to-do list?
A flat list treats every item as equal, so easy C tasks get done and hard A tasks slip. ABC forces a ranking so your attention goes to what matters first.
What if everything feels like an A?
Cap yourself at three A's a day. If more feel urgent, ask which cause real consequences today — the rest are B's. Don't Forget escalates a B to an A as its deadline nears.
Is Don't Forget free?
Yes — free to start, with an optional Premium plan for unlimited history, analytics, and web-push reminders.