No time like the present

I do everything right away. There are exceptions, but by and large, I do everything the first chance I get. I began developing this habit in my later college years. Before then, I was a serial procrastinator. Unless an assignment or obligation was particularly compelling, I’d pass my time with whatever amused me until the deadline loomed. Then I’d cram and complete the work at the last minute. The stress, panic, and second-rate results eventually made me realize I could have used all that earlier time.

Gradually, I learned to start working on my chores and homework early, spreading out my effort, gaining more balance, reducing stress, and producing better results. I kept these good habits when I began working full-time. However, as I gained responsibility and started a family, I was overwhelmed by my responsibilities again. Prioritization and setting boundaries helped immensely, but the irregular onslaught of obligations still led to pressure-packed times.

The solution was to do everything right away. Doing so smoothed the uneven flow of requests and provided the slack I needed to handle crises. How can eschewing prioritization help you prioritize? How does responding immediately provide you with essential slack time? Read on.

I don’t think it means what you think it means

When I say I do everything right away, I mean I process it all immediately. The moment I review a request, whether it’s something I think of myself or something I receive, I handle it in one of three ways.

• Deal with it now (15%). This means responding to the message and/or completing the task at that moment. I must have the necessary time available right away, so these requests are often small enough to dispatch quickly (not much longer than it takes to review them).
• Ignore it permanently (80%). This means deciding not to do anything with the request aside from perhaps filing it away. Most requests I receive are deleted or discarded (junk mail, notifications, group messages). I never think of them again unless someone follows up.
• Queue it for later (5%). This means adding the request to the backlog of an appropriate project, to my calendar (if I can’t start it until a specific time), or to my personal to-do list. I complete each item on my to-do list within a few days (often the same day).

Note that I process requests the moment I review them—not the moment one of my devices receives them. That’s because I turn off all notifications on my laptop and phone except for appointment reminders, phone calls, texts, and live site incidents. That way, I can focus on getting through my to-do list without interruptions. I review my messages (email, Teams, etc.) whenever I take a break—typically every 20 to 90 minutes. Getting back to folks within 20 to 90 minutes is considered exemplary, so a slight delay to checking messages is not an issue. If there’s an emergency, people can text or call me.

I dispatch quickly or simply ignore about 95% of requests I receive. Managing requests this way is called “single-piece flow.” It’s the most efficient way to do something because you absorb and handle a request only once—no context switching, no rework.

I complete the few remaining requests as soon as I have the time and ability to do so (usually within a few days). It doesn’t matter when the request is due; I do it right away. If there’s a request I think may change or go away on its own, I’ll put a reminder on my calendar to review it at a time when I expect more clarity.

Let’s just focus on what’s important

Because I process everything right away, it might seem like I’m ignoring priority, because I’m treating all requests as equally urgent and important. However, the opposite is true.

Prioritization is how I decide which requests to ignore or quickly dispatch. If a request is not urgent or important, I ignore it or provide a quick answer or deflection. Sometimes the deflection suggests someone else handle the request. Sometimes I ask a few questions to help me determine if the request has high enough priority for me to do now. Regardless, these requests are one and done.

This process leaves me to focus on high-priority requests, which I’ve queued into a project backlog, my calendar, or my personal to-do list. Which request has the highest priority? The project team determines that for their backlog. As for my personal calendar and to-do list, I determine priority in the moment. It’s okay if I misjudge a bit because I complete each item on my to-do list within a few days (regardless of due date).

To determine priority in the moment, you need to be able to see all your tasks at once. That’s why I keep a single to-do list (another well-documented best practice). I keep my list in a special email folder; others use a personal Kanban board, a notebook, or a spreadsheet. (If it’s important to separate personal items from professional items, you can maintain two lists, as long as you’re not juggling them simultaneously.)

By doing everything right away, I have nothing hanging over me. I’m always available to handle a crisis if needed, and I have unburdened slack time between high-priority requests. When times are busy, I raise the threshold for queuing a request (more gets quickly dispatched or ignored). That way, I remain available for essential requests and retain critical slack time to think and reflect.

Nobody questions my ability to get the job done

Another nice benefit to handling everything right away is that you cultivate a reputation for being responsive and getting things done. Those are valuable traits in any organization.

People think I work more than I do because I appear so productive. In fact, I work fewer hours than many people I know. I just complete everything I start, and I avoid context switching and rework (no wasted effort).

It also helps to actively work on no more than two things at once: a primary task and a fallback task for when the primary task stalls. (If the fallback task stalls, I drop it and choose a different fallback.) This approach keeps me focused and enables me to finish work faster.

Finally, I work hard to keep my single to-do list short. If the list has big items that take weeks, I break them down into small items, store the full breakdown in a backlog, and only transfer a few items at a time to my personal to-do list. If my to-do list gets too long (more than 12 items), I raise my threshold for queuing requests and quickly dispatch or ignore the low-priority items on my list.

You can get him started on the new deal right away

As we get older and gain responsibilities, the demands on our time can become overwhelming. Many are tempted to escape, but the obligations remain. Instead, decide what’s important and urgent enough to focus on, and then quickly dispatch, delete, or discard everything else—one and done. Place the remaining high-priority requests on a project backlog, your calendar, or your single personal to-do list. Choose no more than two items from your to-do list and focus on them exclusively until they are done within a few days. (Turn off notifications and break big requests into small pieces.)

By taking this approach, you minimize wasted effort, focus on what’s important, and gain a reputation for being responsive and getting things done. In addition, you never have tasks hanging over you, you create unburdened slack time, and you’re always in a healthy state to handle whatever life throws at you. This technique isn’t stress-free, but it does give you a greater sense of control and accomplishment. Try it today.