Hot is today, and it holds three tasks at most. That’s the rule from the book. Drag a card between piles, or press and hold it first on a phone. Warm is important but not urgent, and moves to Hot when a deadline shows up. Cold is ideas and someday, written down so you can stop holding them.

Wording like “today” or “by Friday” can suggest a pile, but you choose. A loud task isn’t always an urgent one. The board doesn’t send reminders or move tasks on its own.

Under the THREE-PILE SYSTEM name, Built For Chaos offers free online articles and videos about organizing tasks and workflow.

Read the method in The THREE-PILE SYSTEM, from the book, or watch the THREE-PILE SYSTEM film.