Act On It Now - Organic Productivity

"If you determine an action can be done in two minutes, you actually should do it right then because it’ll take longer to organise it and review it than it would be to actually finish it the first time you notice it" David Allen's "Two-Minute Rule".

"If you can do something right now in the moment, without having to close it and then reopen it again later, get it done now." Josh Zerkel's "Do It Now Rule".

While the "Two-Minute Rule" is a popular time management rule, reading about Josh Zerkel's interpretation[1] prompted me to describe my own.

When it comes to time management and productivity, I often tend to go a step further towards a more organic direction, to what could be called the "Act On It Now Rule":

" If you have an idea or a task that requires attention, just act on it, whether it can be completed immediately or not" 

If a task can be done in a short or very short amount of time, then it follows the iconic two-minute rule; if it takes more time to be completed, it will still require some form of immediate action, for example setting up a reminder. The latter case is where you could start acting on it instead.

Depending on the task, if you're delegating, this is as simple as taking the time to share it clearly but concisely, with an email, a call, a brief, etc; if it's something only you can do, start drafting a solution. In both cases, you will find it easier to finalise or review the task later, when you are able to prioritise it. 

The possible drawback of using the "act on it now" rule, is ending up with multiple drafted or semi-completed tasks, but that can only ever happen in absence of good prioritisation to begin with. Moreover, some tasks simply don't go well with segmentation and should be allocated enough time to be completed in their entirety.

For all other cases, the first immediate upside is of course being able to take care of a larger number of tasks within a set timeframe, regardless of how complex or time-consuming these might be. This also comes with an immediately measurable higher perception of productivity: ie being able to always reply to an email in time, attend a meeting, give feedback or help on other projects.

Another advantage, especially for more complex tasks, is being able to add incremental value to improve the original solution every time you get back to it, by means of interaction with other staff members, contractors or through feedback from customers.

The "act on it now" rule is an extension of well known practices, but it allows for a more organic approach that takes into account preexisting schedules and last-minute tasks, especially in a work-flow heavily focused on multi-tasking.

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Image: Productive, by Matt Gibson https://flic.kr/p/qK5NHb

[1] https://www.businessinsider.com.au/do-it-now-rule-makes-you-more-organized-2017-5

#lean #agile #task #management