The Philosophy: Your Brain is for Cooking, Not for Storing Ingredients.
Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them. Imagine trying to cook while juggling all your ingredients in the air. You’d drop everything! The goal is to get all the “ingredients” (tasks, ideas, reminders) out of your head. Move them onto a “counter” (your lists). Then you can actually start cooking.
This method uses just three simple lists. That’s it. It works on a piece of paper, a notebook, or a simple notes app on your phone.
The Core Recipe: The 3-List “Menu” System
This is the foundation for everything. It ranges from planning a project at work to packing for a trip in 30 minutes.
- The “Dream Menu” (The Master List)
This is your one, giant, messy list. It’s the entire menu of everything you could possibly do or want to do.
How to Make It: Grab a notebook or open a new note. Dump EVERYTHING from your brain onto this list. No organizing, no judging. If you think it, write it down.
Examples: “Fix the leaky faucet.” “Plan Q4 marketing strategy.” “Call mom.” “Research vacation to Sicily.” “Organize the garage.” “Buy new socks.”
Purpose: To free your mind. This list is your storage pantry. You don’t eat from it directly, you just pull ingredients from here.
- The “Weekly Specials” (The Action List)
Every Sunday night or Monday morning, you review your “Dream Menu.” You decide what you’ll focus on this week. These are your weekly specials.
How to Make It: On a new page or note, write “This Week.” Look at your Dream Menu. Identify the 5-10 most important or timely things. Decide what you want to accomplish in the next seven days.
Example: From the Dream Menu, you might pull multiple tasks. These include “Draft Q4 strategy,” “Schedule a plumber for the faucet,” and “Buy birthday gift for Marco.”
Purpose: To create focus. It turns the overwhelming “everything” list into a manageable “this week” list.
- The “Today’s Plate” (The Daily To-Do)
This is the most important list. It’s what you will actually eat today. You make this every single morning, or the night before.
How to Make It: On a fresh page or a sticky note, look at your “Weekly Specials” list. Choose just 1-3 “Must-Eat” Tasks. These are the most important things that, if you get them done, will make today a success. Then, add a few smaller “Side Dishes” (quick tasks like “reply to that email” or “make a phone call”).
Example:
Must-Eats:
Outline the Q4 strategy document.
Side Dishes:
Call the plumber.
Email Sarah about the meeting.
Order Marco’s gift online.
Purpose: To guarantee productivity. By focusing on only 1-3 critical tasks, you avoid feeling overwhelmed and ensure you make progress on what truly matters.
How to Use the Recipe in Any “Kitchen”
Here’s how this simple 3-list system adapts to any situation.
In the Office (“The Professional Kitchen”)
Dream Menu: All projects, career goals, ideas, reports to write, people to contact.
Weekly Specials: Key milestones for your main projects this week. “Finalize presentation,” “Submit expense report,” “Follow up with Client X.”
Today’s Plate: “1. Finish slides 5-10 of the presentation.” That’s it. That’s your win for the day.
At Home. “The Family Kitchen.”
Dream Menu: Pay bills. Do laundry. Fix the gate. Plan meals. Schedule doctor’s appointments. Clean the gutters.
Weekly Specials: “Pay electricity bill,” “Go grocery shopping,” “Wash all towels,” “Call the handyman about the gate.”
Today’s Plate: “1. Pay the electricity bill online (Must-Eat).” Sides: “Make a grocery list,” “Put one load of laundry in.”
Traveling on Short Notice (“The Picnic Basket”)
You don’t have time for a week. The system gets faster.
Dream Menu (Brain Dump – 5 mins): Pack. Book flight. Book hotel. Tell my boss. Arrange pet sitter. Charge phone. Download map. Get local currency.
Weekly/Today’s List becomes a “Go-List” (Prioritized Checklist): You sort the brain dump by urgency.
DO IT NOW: Book flight/train.
DO TONIGHT: Pack essentials, charge all devices.
DO BEFORE I LEAVE: Notify work, forward mail, water plants.
The principle is the same: dump, then prioritize a small, actionable list.
Big Family Event (“The Banquet”)
This is a project. You break it down.
Dream Menu: Everything for the event. Book venue, send invitations, plan menu, buy decorations, create playlist, organize games, etc.
Weekly Specials (Timeline based): Instead of one week, you create lists for “4 Weeks Out,” “2 Weeks Out,” “Final Week.”
4 Weeks Out: Finalize guest list, Book venue.
2 Weeks Out: Send invitations, Plan menu.
Today’s Plate: Your task for today is just one tiny piece of the banquet. “1. Call three potential caterers for quotes.” It’s not “Plan Menu.” It’s a small, specific, achievable bite.
The Secret Ingredient: The “Clean Your Plate” Review
At the end of the day, look at your “Today’s Plate.” Take a pen and physically cross off what you did. This small act is incredibly satisfying. It’s your “Buon Appetito!”—a moment to savor your accomplishment. It builds momentum for tomorrow.
Start with this simple recipe. Your tastebuds—and your productivity—will thank you for it.
Model 1: The Productivity Funnel
This model shows how you filter your overwhelming cloud of thoughts into a single, focused action for the day. You pour everything in the top, and a successful day comes out the bottom.
- Top of Funnel (Widest): The Dream Menu 🧠
- All your ideas, tasks, and goals.
- ↓
- Middle of Funnel: The Weekly Specials 🗓️
- A curated list of priorities for this week.
- ↓
- Bottom of Funnel (Narrowest): Today’s Plate ✅
- The 1-3 most important tasks to complete today.
Table 1: The 3-List “Menu” System Breakdown
This table details the purpose and process for each list in the system.
| List Name (The “Menu” Item) | Purpose (The “Flavor”) | Action (The “Recipe”) | Frequency |
| 1. The Dream Menu | To Free Your Mind. Gets everything out of your head so you don’t have to remember it. | Brain Dump. Write down every single task, idea, or goal you can think of. Don’t organize it yet. | Ongoing. Add to it anytime something new pops into your head. |
| 2. The Weekly Specials | To Create Focus. Turns the overwhelming master list into a manageable plan. | Select Priorities. Review your Dream Menu and pull out 5-10 key items to accomplish this week. | Once a Week. (e.g., Sunday night or Monday morning) |
| 3. Today’s Plate | To Guarantee Progress. Ensures you accomplish what truly matters each day. | Choose 1-3 “Must-Eats”. Look at your Weekly Specials and pick the most critical tasks for today. | Daily. (e.g., Every morning) |
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Model 2: The “Today’s Plate” Structure
Think of your daily to-do list not as a random list, but as a well-balanced plate.
- Main Course (Must-Eats)
- What: 1-3 absolute priority tasks.
- Rule: The day is a success if you finish these. Everything else is a bonus.
- Side Dishes
- What: Smaller, quicker, less critical tasks.
- Rule: Tackle these if you have time left over or need a quick win between your “Must-Eats.”
Table 2: Applying the System in Different “Kitchens”
This table shows how the exact same system adapts to any area of your life.
| Context (The “Kitchen”) | Dream Menu Example (Ingredients) | Weekly Specials Example (This Week’s Plan) | Today’s Plate Example (Today’s Action) |
| 🏢 The Office | All projects, career goals, reports, meetings, new ideas for efficiency. | Finalize Q4 presentation; Submit expense report; Prep for client meeting. | Must-Eat: Finish slides 5-10 of the presentation. |
| 🏡 The Home | Fix faucet, organize garage, pay bills, schedule appointments, meal prep ideas. | Schedule plumber; Go grocery shopping; Pay electricity bill; Do laundry. | Must-Eat: Call 3 plumbers to get quotes. |
| ✈️ Short-Notice Travel | (Brain Dump): Book flight, pack, tell boss, arrange pet sitter, charge devices. | (Becomes a “Go-List”): NOW: Book flight. TONIGHT: Pack. TOMORROW AM: Notify work. | Must-Eat: Book refundable flight and hotel. |
| 🎉 Big Family Event | Book venue, send invites, plan menu, buy decorations, create playlist, delegate tasks. | (Timeline-Based): 4 Weeks Out: Finalize guest list & venue. 2 Weeks Out: Send invites. | Must-Eat: Finalize and email the guest list to the printer. |
SummerSimo Travel Troubles Notes and The Purring Page 
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