Our weekly To-Do list is constantly clogged with long-term projects because our leaders treat To-Dos like multi-week initiatives rather than seven-day action items. They report them as "in progress" every week, which destroys our accountability. How do we enforce the strict seven-day rule for Level 10 Meeting™ To-Dos?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A weekly To-Do in a Level 10 Meeting™ is not a mini-Rock or a multi-phase project. It is a specific, actionable item that can and must be completed within seven days. When leaders carry over To-Dos week after week and report them as "in progress," they are treating the weekly pulse like a casual status meeting rather than a high-accountability execution tool.

To break this habit, the facilitator must enforce a binary standard: a To-Do is either done or not done. There is no such thing as "in progress" in an EOS® weekly pulse. When reviewing the To-Do list, leaders should only say "done" or "not done."

If a leader says "not done," do not let them explain why. Simply ask them if they can have it done by next week. If a To-Do is consistently missed for two consecutive weeks, it must be dropped to the Issues List.

During IDS®, the team must diagnose why the To-Do is stuck. Is it too large? If so, break it down into smaller, seven-day bites. Is there a capacity issue? Or is there a lack of commitment?

Keep your To-Dos simple and highly specific. Instead of "work on the marketing plan," the To-Do should be "draft the first three pages of the marketing plan and email it to the team." This clarity makes accountability unavoidable and keeps your weekly execution rate at ninety percent or higher.