内容来源：https://lifehacker.com/work/overhaul-to-do-list-with-abcde-method?utm_medium=RSS

内容总结：

高效能人士的“ABCDE任务分级法”：告别忙乱，聚焦要务

在个人效率管理领域，“任务清单”一直是规划每日工作的核心工具。如何科学地为任务排序？除了广为人知的“艾森豪威尔矩阵”，另一种简洁实用的方法——“ABCDE任务分级法”正受到关注。该方法源自效率专家博恩·崔西的著作《吃掉那只青蛙》，旨在通过主观分级，帮助人们快速厘清任务优先级，从而高效推进每日计划。

ABCDE分级法：五级分类，一目了然

该方法要求使用者将待办事项按重要性及后果严重性分为五级：

• A级任务：最为关键，若不完成会产生明确负面影响。例如关乎重大目标的项目、有截止期限的重要工作，或是如按时缴费等虽耗时不多但逾期惩罚严重的事项。这类任务通常需要集中资源与时间优先处理，即所谓“吃掉那只青蛙”。

• B级任务：应当完成，但延迟处理不会立即导致严重问题。不过若长期拖延，其可能升级为A级任务。例如为一个月后的重要考试进行前期复习。

• C级任务：做了有益，但不做也无妨。例如回复一份非紧急的商务邮件以维持关系。这类任务可在主要任务完成后酌情处理。

• D级任务：可以委托他人完成的事项。对于管理者或家长而言，这类任务较多；个人事务中也可灵活理解为“可外包”的事项，例如使用配送服务解决家务。

• E级任务：可直接取消。指那些无实质意义、无后果或可能干扰主要目标的活动。果断舍弃此类任务能有效减轻心理负担，本身就是一种效率提升。

实践应用：与“1-3-5清单法”结合

分级后，可结合“1-3-5每日清单”结构（即1件大事、3件中等事、5件小事）安排日程：

• 那件“大事”应来自A级任务。
• 三件中等事可包含次要的A级任务或主要的B级任务。
• 五件小事则可安排剩余的B级或C级任务。
  对于D级任务，协调与委托的过程本身可能需计入“小事”时间；E级任务则直接划去。

关键提醒：动态调整与专注执行

任务分级具有一定主观性，需通过练习熟练掌握。建议每日规划时，为A级任务预留充足时间段，并依次处理B、C级任务。同时需以周为单位审视B级任务，避免其因拖延升级为A级。对于委托出去的任务，应尽早交接，给予对方充足完成时间。

通过这套清晰的分级系统，人们不仅能快速构建有序的行动路线图，减少决策内耗，还能在完成每项任务时获得成就感，从而形成“规划-执行-激励”的高效正循环。其核心在于，让使用者真正聚焦于“重要之事”，而非仅仅应对“紧急之事”。

中文翻译：

提升工作效率的一个关键要素，在于合理规划每日事务的优先级，并依序处理。这正是待办事项清单如此重要的原因。通常我会推荐使用艾森豪威尔矩阵，它能直观地根据任务的紧急与重要程度进行分类。但除此之外，还有另一种方法：ABCDE分类法。该方法源自博恩·崔西的著作《吃掉那只青蛙：拒绝穷忙，把时间花在刀刃上》。显然，"吃掉青蛙"——即每天优先处理最艰巨的任务——是应对日常事务的一种方式，但合理安排其余任务的执行顺序同样至关重要。以下是具体操作方法。

什么是ABCDE效率分类法？
ABCDE分类法是一种简易的任务归类方式，帮助你辨别哪些事项最紧迫、最耗费精力、最值得关注。运用该方法是制定待办清单的扎实第一步，尤其适用于"1-3-5清单法"（即每日完成1项重要任务、3项中等任务、5项小型任务）。当然，区分任务的大小本身也是一项工作（不过它可不计入那5项小任务哦）。

这种方法比同类优先级排序技巧更易操作，因为它更具主观灵活性。规划日程时，你需要为每项任务评定等级。首先列出所有待办事项——可以是日、周或月度的任务清单（后续可逐步精简）。接着参照以下标准进行分级：

• A级：最重要的任务。若未完成将产生后果，可能是需要投入大量资源的"青蛙"型任务，也可能是耗时不多但失败代价高昂的事项（如按时缴费）。
• B级：需要完成但非刻不容缓的任务。虽可稍作延后（否则可能升级为A级），但仍需适时处理。例如为一个月后的关键考试备考，现阶段可归为B级，但若拖延过久则会转为A级。
• C级：未完成无负面影响、但处理了更好的事项。例如婉拒不感兴趣的采访邀约虽非必要，却能维系专业关系。（对比而言，敲定采访时间属B级，执行采访则属A级。）
• D级：可委托他人完成的任务。需确保接手者能优先处理，且不影响其原有的A/B级任务。这种方法虽带主观性，但可灵活变通：例如工作繁忙时，将积压的洗衣任务交给取送服务。即使无法直接"委派"，也可尝试外包思路——比如点外卖替代做饭，或请保洁代替亲自打扫。识别清单中的D级任务需要练习，但这能为处理更重要的任务腾出空间。
• E级：可直接删除的事项。这些任务毫无意义、无关联后果，甚至可能干扰正轨。例如家中食物充足时，尝试新菜谱的计划可暂时剔除，但库存耗尽后采购便会升为更高级别。有些E级任务则永不重现，果断舍弃能有效减轻压力。允许自己不做某些事，本身就是一种激励与效率策略。

诚然，准确分类需要时间磨合。若感到困难，也可尝试更数据化的优先级管理方法。但ABCDE法的核心在于快速建立条理，让你停止焦虑、专注执行。

运用ABCDE分级提升效率
完成分级后，即可规划日程（包括日、周、月度）。此时可结合"1-3-5清单法"：1项重要任务对应A级（紧迫且耗资源），3项中等任务可包含次要A级或B级，5项小任务则涵盖剩余B级与C级。

至于D级任务，协调外包的过程若耗费精力，可将其计入5项小任务之一。若委派工作本身较复杂，甚至可能需要暂时借助C级任务来推进。E级任务直接划除即可，这种决断会带来轻松感与成就感。

确定当日必要任务后，还需前瞻整周计划：若某日无法处理B级任务，应将其调整至合适时间，避免拖延升级为A级。

最后，运用时间盒法规划日程：为每项任务分配日历时段，A级任务预留最充足时间，B/C级递减。拒绝多任务并行，从"吃掉青蛙"开始逐项推进。（例外情况：委托任务应尽早安排，给予接手者充足完成时间。）

通过分级梳理职责，你能更清晰地认知任务紧迫性，从而提升行动力。将一切整理成有序清单，不仅能提供明确方向、减少时间浪费，完成时的成就感本身亦是效率的胜利。

英文来源：

A major component of productivity is prioritizing your daily responsibilities and addressing them in an order that makes sense, which is why to-do lists are so important. Usually, I suggest using the Eisenhower Matrix, which helps you visually sort tasks according to how urgent and important they are, but there is another way: The ABCDE method, which comes from Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy. Obviously, eating the frog—or doing your biggest, most demanding task first each day—is one way to tackle the day’s duties, but structuring out how you’ll do the rest is pretty important, too. Here’s how it works.
What is the ABCDE method of productivity?
The ABCDE method is a simple way to categorize whatever you need to do and figure out which things are most pressing, most demanding, and most relevant. Using it can be a solid first step to making your to-do list, especially if you’re following a model like the 1-3-5 list, which requires you to do one major task, three medium-sized ones, and five small ones every day. Figuring out the big, medium, and small tasks is actually a task in itself (but it doesn’t count as one of the five, sorry).
This approach is a little easier than similar prioritization techniques because it's more subjective. When you are planning out your day, you’re going to give each task in front of you a grade. First, list out everything you need to do. This can be a list of your tasks for the day, week, or month—you’ll weed it all down eventually. Then, give them each a grade based on this outline:
A is for the most important tasks, like anything that will have a consequence if it doesn’t get done. These are the “frog” tasks that will require resources and time, but they can also be something that doesn’t take a lot of time but does have a hefty associated punishment for failure, like paying a bill on time.
B tasks are ones that also need to get done, but won’t have such serious ramifications if they’re not done immediately. You know you need to do them at some point (lest they escalate to the urgency of an A task) but you have a little wiggle room. If you have a make-or-break exam in a month, studying for it now might be a B task, but if you wait too long, it'll quickly become A.
C tasks don’t have any consequences for not getting done, but are things it would be good to get taken care of. For me, a C task might be responding to a PR pitch to say I’m not interested in interviewing their client. I didn’t need to do it, but it’s a nice thing to do that keeps a professional relationship friendly. (Conversely, a B task would be responding to someone’s publicity agent right away when they’re trying to nail down a time for an interview. An A task would be doing the interview.)
D tasks are anything that you can delegate to someone else. The person you give it to shouldn’t have any A or B tasks it will take away from; it should become a priority for them, even if it’s not major for you or simply something you trust they’ll get done right. This is where it gets a little subjective and may not work for everyone. If you're a manager at work or the adult in your household, this is easy enough, but if you're working on personal tasks, it's not always relevant. You can think a little more abstractly here, if it helps. Sometimes, when I have a lot of laundry to do, I'm overly busy, and it's bordering on being an A task, I actually turn it into a D task by calling a pick-up and delivery service. Think of things you can outsource, even if you aren't exactly in a position to "delegate." Even an A or B task like "plan tonight's meal" or "clean the house" could be a D task if you're in a position to order a pizza or hire a cleaner. Be open to seeing D tasks among everything on your list, even if it takes some practice, as it clears the way for more As and Bs.
E tasks are ones you eliminate altogether. If they serve absolutely no purpose, have no consequences attached to them, or may even pull you off course, just don’t do them. This is a pretty relative grade, though: Say you wanted to go to the grocery store and try a new recipe tonight but just don’t have time. You have enough food at home, so you don't even need takeout. It’s fine to eliminate it this time, but when you deplete all your food, the grocery store trip will roar back onto the list in a higher position. Other E tasks may never reappear; they’re just inconsequential. Ignore them to reduce pressure on yourself. Even giving yourself permission not to do things can be a major motivator and is a productivity method of its own.
Like I said, this is a little subjective and it may take some time to get the hang of accurately categorizing your tasks. There are other, more intense ways of prioritizing your daily responsibilities and if you're struggling with giving your to-dos a grade, you might need to try something a little more data-focused. The goal here is to be quick and efficient so you can stop stressing about what needs to be done, then prioritize it, and just start doing it.
Use the ABCDE grades to be more productive
Once every task has been assigned a grade, start planning out your day (and week and month). Here’s where that 1-3-5 to-do list comes in: The one big task should be an A task, something that is urgent and timely, and/or requires major resources and focus. The three medium-sized tasks might include a smaller A-level one, but will most likely be Bs. For the five smaller tasks, pick up any leftover B grades and, if you want, Cs.
As for the D-level things, outsourcing and coordinating on them might still require enough work to qualify carrying out the delegation as one of your five smaller tasks, but it depends how much effort that really takes and what the rest of your day is looking like. Don’t shoot the messenger, but you might have to fall back on a C task to get the delegation taken care of. The E grades can just be crossed off. Go ahead and delete them or strike them out. It’ll feel good (and productive) to get that finality on them.
Once you’ve organized which tasks are necessary for the day, look ahead at the week and make sure you keep any B-level responsibilities in mind and roll them over to a day that works for you if you don’t have time that particular day. Putting them off will turn them into As pretty quickly.
As always, rely on timeboxing to schedule out the day from there. Allocate time for each task in your calendar, giving yourself the most time for major A-level duties and less and less time for B and C. Don’t multitask; instead, do each thing in order, starting by eating the frog and moving through the other things one at a time until they’re done. (The exception here is that if you’re delegating tasks, try to get it done early so the other person has time to complete what should be an A- or B-level job for them, too.)
Grading your responsibilities is an easy way to get perspective on them and enhance your sense of urgency around them, which compels you to be more productive. Getting it all into an ordered list gives you structure and direction, wastes less time throughout the day, and will give you a sense of accomplishment when you’re done, which itself is a productivity win.