Back in the days before the Internet, there was a time management concept I heard about called the “1 Touch Rule”. Simply stated, it meant that when a paper came into your IN Tray (or on your desk), you were supposed to deal with it the FIRST time you touched it, hence the name – 1 Touch Rule.
I totally understand that at first, it’s much easier said than done, but with practice it gets easier. In fact, you’ll quickly reach a point where you simply won’t touch anything UNLESS you can deal with it in 1 TOUCH.
One of my pet peeves is people not managing their emails. They open them, skim and close them WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING other than wasting time. The next time they go to that email is the SECOND TIME = another waste of time.
The 1 Touch Rule led me to create a concept I call Gap Management. In simple terms, it means using the gaps that occur in all our lives. For example, if I got a message to call a client, I would do it when I knew I would get his/her voicemail. I would leave a FULL message so he/she could deal with the issue BEFORE they called me back – avoiding telephone tag and another multi-touch scenario.
I teach these strategies in my Platinum Program. All I can really do in a blog is introduce the concept and let you know there is a better way to get more more things done in less time. At my workshops, over several hours, I can explain and show you how it’s done with real case studies and examples as well as answer your specific questions. Contact us if you’re keen to learn how to get a lot more done in less time.
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