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| Photo by Bozhin Karaivanov on Unsplash |
In the Army, time is everything. Missions succeed or fail based on how quickly units can plan, prepare, and execute. To keep timelines tight and responsibilities clear, the Army uses a simple but powerful principle called the 1/3–2/3 Rule—and it’s a tool every school, team, staff, or organization can benefit from.
At its core, the rule ensures leaders don’t waste time and subordinates don’t get boxed into impossible deadlines. It creates predictability, structure, and fairness… even when the clock is ticking.
Let’s break it down in plain language and then translate it to civilian life.
What Is the 1/3–2/3 Rule?
The rule is straightforward:
A leader keeps one-third of the available time for planning and gives the remaining two-thirds to their subordinates to complete the mission.
If higher headquarters gives you 24 hours to execute…
• The leader uses 8 hours to plan
• Subordinates get 16 hours to prepare and execute
The math is simple, but the discipline is the magic.
This prevents leaders from burning up all the available time creating the “perfect” plan while the people who actually need to carry it out are left scrambling.
Why the Rule Works
The 1/3–2/3 Rule forces leaders to:
• Make timely decisions
• Produce workable—not perfect—plans
• Respect the time and workload of their teams
• Get information out early
• Keep execution realistic and achievable
It protects everyone from the bottleneck of a slow leader.
And no matter the setting—a battalion, a school, a nonprofit, a company—the bottleneck is always the enemy of progress.
How Any Organization Can Use the 1/3–2/3 Rule
You don’t need uniforms or rank insignia to use this rule.
Any team with deadlines, events, projects, or tasks can benefit immediately.
Here’s how.
1. Communicate Expectations Early
If a project is due on Friday, you shouldn’t hold onto it until Thursday night before telling your team. With the 1/3–2/3 rule:
• You take the first third to gather information, clarify the task, create direction
• You deliver the rest of the timeline to your team so they can actually do the work
Early clarity always beats late perfection.
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| Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash |
School events, business proposals, game prep, unit plans—this rule keeps everything on track.
Examples:
• If you have a 9-day planning window for a school event
– Leaders plan for 3 days
– Staff get 6 days to prepare
• If your business has a 60-day timeline for a project
– Leadership makes decisions by Day 20
– Teams get 40 full days to execute
This structure scales easily to any timeline.
3. Prevent Burnout With Predictable Planning Cycles
Nothing burns out a team like receiving information “last minute.”
The 1/3–2/3 rule:
• Reduces stress
• Avoids frantic late-night prep
• Protects weekends and family time
• Creates a rhythm the team can rely on
When people know they’ll get adequate time to do their job, they perform better.
4. Improve Trust and Transparency
When leaders consistently push information early:
• Teams trust them more
• Communication improves
• Mistakes drop
• Ownership increases
People don’t resist responsibility—they resist surprises.
5. Build a Culture of Discipline, Not Chaos
The best organizations don’t work harder; they work earlier.
The 1/3–2/3 rule creates a culture where:
• Timelines are respected
• Decisions are timely
• Teams aren’t blindsided
• Leaders aren’t “winging it”
• Everyone gets the time they need to succeed
This makes any organization more effective regardless of size or mission.
The Biggest Misconception
Some people think the rule is about taking less time as a leader.
Not exactly.
It’s about using time wisely:
• Make a good plan
• Make it fast
• Get it out early
• Let your people work
The rule forces leaders to shift from “perfect planning” to “productive planning.”
In the Army, that can save lives.
In civilian organizations, it can save time, morale, and resources.
Final Thought
The 1/3–2/3 Rule is one of the simple systems the Army gets right. It keeps planning disciplined, timelines manageable, and teams empowered.
Use it for events.
Use it for classrooms.
Use it for leadership teams.
Whatever timeline you have—divide it.
Take your third.
Give them their two-thirds.
You’ll be amazed at how much smoother everything runs.
Teach. Coach. Lead.
JVD
Sources & Credits
This concept is derived from U.S. Army operations doctrine, specifically principles outlined in ATP 5-0.1 and FM 6-0 regarding the Troop Leading Procedures and time management in mission planning.
This post was drafted with the assistance of AI (ChatGPT) and edited by Mr. VanDusen.
