Why the order of the columns matters
The action you should do first is the one that ranks near the top in all three columns. The columns are arranged on purpose.
Purpose keeps you going. Work that matters to you is the work that gets finished.
Quick wins build momentum and free up capacity for the bigger work that follows.
Income follows consistent, finished work. It still counts, but it is not allowed to override the first two.
Rank what you are weighing
Write your list
Name up to 10 actions you are weighing: a class, a certification, a side business, a job application, a project.
Rank each column on its own
Drag the handle, or pick a rank from the menu. Row 1 is the top of each column. Sort one column at a time and try not to look at the others, or one ranking will bend the rest.
What to do first
Each action's score is the sum of its three row positions. A 3 means it topped every column; a 30 means it came last in every column. Lowest total goes first. Ties go to the action ranked higher in Passion and Purpose, then Time and Effort.
Save your progress
Download your list, rankings and order to your own device. The file is built in your browser; nothing is uploaded. Save a JSON or CSV copy to pick up where you left off later.
Five actions, one order
Someone weighing five actions ranked them in each column, then added the positions.
| Action | Passion and Purpose | Time and Effort | Earning Potential | Total | Do it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply for the open promotion | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1st |
| Mentor youth at a local program | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 2nd (wins tie on passion) |
| Finish an HVAC certification | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 3rd |
| Take an evening coding class | 2 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 4th (wins tie on passion) |
| Start a lawn care side business | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 5th |
Notice the tie rule at work. Mentoring and the HVAC certification both total 8, but mentoring sits higher in Passion and Purpose, so it goes first. The same rule puts the coding class ahead of the lawn care business.
Patterns to watch for
Your results label each action with one of these patterns. "High" means the top third of a column and "low" means the bottom third. When an action does not fit any pattern cleanly, it gets the closest one and is marked as a closest fit.
Meaningful, quick and well paid. Put it on the calendar now.
Keep it, but set a fixed weekly time so it does not crowd out income.
Do it efficiently, time box it, or hand it off if you can.
Batch these into one session or drop them.
Cross it off the list and give the time to something higher up.