Tony Robbins' Rapid Planning Method (RPM): result, purpose, action

The Rapid Planning Method plans backwards from what you want. You name the result first, write down why it matters, and only then list the actions. A task that doesn't lead to any result you care about doesn't make the list.

Where RPM comes from

Tony Robbins, the motivational speaker and author, developed RPM and teaches it in his time-management audio program The Time of Your Life and in live events. His own site calls it a "results-focused, passion-driven, massive action plan". Most summaries shorten the letters to Result, Purpose and Massive Action Plan. His point is that a full day and a good day aren't the same thing.

The three questions

For each outcome, answer these in order.

1. What result do I want? Make it specific: "a vegetable bed planted by the end of April" is something you can finish, and "garden more" isn't.
2. Why do I want it? "So the kids eat something we grew" gets you outside on a cold Saturday in a way the task alone won't. Robbins puts a lot of weight on this step.
3. What actions would get me there? List them, then mark the two or three that would make the biggest difference.

A typical RPM week

1. On Sunday, write down every task, idea and worry on your mind, unsorted.
2. Group them. Everything about the move goes together, everything about the garden, everything about the launch at work.
3. Answer the three questions for each group. Each group becomes one outcome, with its reason and its actions.
4. From all the actions, pick the must-dos for this week.
5. Put those on specific days and leave the rest as options.

Why it works

Seventy loose tasks are hard to think about; seven outcomes aren't. Tying each action to a result makes the useless ones easy to spot and drop. And on a Thursday when you don't feel like it, rereading why you started does more than rereading the task.

Where it falls short

• It's heavier than a daily list. Answering three questions per outcome takes time, so most people do it once a week.
• "Massive" can turn into a long list again. Keep only the actions that move the result.
• A result with no date drifts. Give every outcome a deadline.

How to review your outcomes

Once a week, open your outcome items and check which results moved and which stalled. Past days in Plan are read-only, so you can scroll back and see which linked tasks you actually finished. Retire the outcomes you've reached and write the next ones. Deadlines live in Reminders; the guides for the item screen and Plan cover the taps.

If this feels like a lot, the two-list strategy or the Ivy Lee method is a gentler start, and daily planning methods, compared shows where RPM fits.