The problem of distribution of effort is that of the optimal allocation of a given resource among various activities, that is, maximize ∑i=1n fi(xi) subject to ∑i=1n xi = w, xi ≥ 0. This paper presents an algorithm for obtaining the optimal allocation as a function of w, when the fi are arbitrary piecewise-linear, continuous functions. The method is recursive and appropriate for hand or machine computation. It is an extension of the well-known technique of ordering the segments of all the fi according to decreasing slope which applies in the special case when each fi has decreasing slopes (that is, is marginally decreasing).