My leadership team gets confused about what is a weekly To-Do, what is a quarterly Rock, and what belongs on the Issues List. How do we draw the line during our meeting?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To eliminate confusion, you must compartmentalize your priorities using the EOS® framework. Think of these three categories in terms of timeframes:

1. To-Dos: These are short-term, tactical commitments that must be completed within the next 7 days. They are action items that arise from your weekly IDS® sessions.
2. Rocks: These are your 3 to 7 most important priorities for the entire quarter. They take 90 days to achieve and are agreed upon during your quarterly planning sessions.
3. Issues: These are obstacles, opportunities, ideas, or problems that do not have an immediate 7-day solution.

If an issue arises during the week that cannot be resolved in 7 days, do not make it a To-Do. Keep it on the Issues List. If it is a massive strategic shift, move it to the Long-Term Issues List on your V/TO® to protect your quarterly focus. This clear separation keeps your team from getting overwhelmed by too many active priorities.