The One-Touch Rule

Paper and email have a way of accumulating. You set things aside to deal with later, and later never comes. The pile grows. The inbox fills. The mental weight increases.

Apply the one-touch rule. When you pick up a piece of paper or open an email, make a decision immediately. Act on it, file it, or delete it. Do not set it aside to decide later. Decide now.

This rule works because it removes the decision from the future, where it becomes a burden, and moves it to the present, where you can handle it. Most decisions are easier when made immediately than when deferred.

Try it today. With each piece of paper or email, make an immediate decision. Act, file, or delete. Notice how much lighter your workspace becomes when things are handled as they arrive.