I routinely watch folks struggle to complete relatively simple tasks because they are:

continually bombarded by distractions and interruptions, and
weighed down by trying to remember things they need to do soon or later or whenever, and
juggling tasks they need to do later with the task they’re trying to focus on now.

They need what I call Inbox Technique.

I did not invent this idea. I learned it by reading Getting Things Done. I call it “Inbox Technique” in order to help make it memorable to others.

An Inbox

When I say “inbox” I mean a collection of things you might eventually one day do. Let me emphasize might and eventually and one day much more than do. Many folks, especially software development professionals of a certain age, have trained themselves to think in terms of backlogs and plans and commitments. An inbox is not a backlog, not a plan, and not a list of commitments. An inbox is a collection of possibilities. Maybe. Eventually. Some day.

An inbox is a collection of maybes, not a list of musts.

That’s it. That’s all I mean by “inbox”.

”The” Inbox

We have a variety of inboxes: email, phone, SMS, people interrupting us asking us to do things, and so on. When I talk about “the” inbox, I mean the composite collection of all your inboxes. The Inbox is the “sum” (really union) of all your various inboxes.

Having many inboxes creates problems, because you are continously wandering around monitoring and checking those inboxes¹. You need One Single Eventual Inbox into which all other inbox items flow. Periodically, then, you process The Inbox according to the universal algorithm for doing things:

If it takes two minutes or less, then just do it, and then forget it; otherwise…
Delete it, if you can, and then forget it; otherwise…
Delegate it to someone else, if you can, and then set a follow-up reminder, and then forget it; otherwise…
Defer it to a later date, if you can, and then set a follow-up reminder to start the work and set a deadline (if there really, really is one), and then forget it; otherwise…
Add it to your list of “next actions” so that you’ll do it “as soon as you can”, and then forget it.

You don’t do this already? No problem! You can train yourself to process The Inbox like this over time. For now, you have a task you’d like to focus on, but you struggle to concentrate because of all this extra stuff floating around in your head. Let’s talk about how to handle that.

Add an Inbox Where You Work

You’re going to laugh. Take some paper and a pen (or pencil), and put them where you work. Yes: analog. I’ll wait for you to find them. Now…

Get Stuff Out of Your Head

Before you start working, there might be 50 things swimming around in your head. Get those things out of your head by writing them in your new inbox. Resist the urge to think about how you’ll handle these things. For now, it’s enough to write them down so that you can concentrate. It doesn’t matter what you write down, as long as it jogs your memory and it’s getting in your way right now. You might write down nanotasks that are part of the task you’re working on now. You might write down reminders of things you need to buy on the way home. You might write down thoughts that won’t leave you alone and are getting in the way of your work. Whatever isn’t the thing you’re trying to do right now, write it down. Write it all down, even if it seems to take forever.

It might take a long time the first time you do this. Ten, twenty, thirty minutes. This is fine. Really. As you practise, this goes much more quickly and still feels great.

Now, look for items in your inbox that describe appointments, like “I have to go to a meeting at 15:30”. Take a moment to set reminders using whatever alarms or calendar apps you have. Make sure the sound is on. Set the reminders, then forget about that stuff, so that you can concentrate on the current task.

Now, look for items in your inbox that describe microtasks related to the current task. You might prefer to write those down in a separate list, so that you’re not constantly noticing unrelated things that might distract you.

Now, open a timer app and set it for 30 minutes. Make sure that sound is on, but if you can, turn off the sound for other notifications.

Now, pick a place to start working, then start working. Just start. While you work, if anything pops into your head that isn’t the exact step that you’re currently working on, then write it in your inbox. After you write it down, forget about it and get back to the current task.

The timer will scream at you after 30 minutes. Stop working. Really! Stop. Write down in your inbox anything that you’re currently holding in your head. Next steps, ideas, hunches, whatever. Write it all down. Now get up, walk away for a few minutes, then come back. When you come back, scan your inbox for information about where you paused, so that you can resume your work. Set the timer for 30 minutes again and keep going.

That’s the idea.

The Principles that Make This Work

Work in small bursts (30 minutes) so that you get used to organizing your work into small batches and completing tasks, rather than merely starting them. If you can’t articulate a goal that you can achieve in 30 minutes, then maybe you should do something else.
Get distractions out of your head so that you can focus on the current microtask. This allows you to complete that microtask sooner and with fewer mistakes. Once you experience this, you’ll wonder how you ever got things done before.
Prioritize appointments over deadlines over everything else.
While concentrating on a task, minimize interruptions. Everything and everyone can wait an average of 15 minutes. If it’s a genuine, time-sensitive, life-or-death emergency, you’ll know. (If you’re on call for an emergency, such as a medical issue, then make sure people have a Bat Phone way to reach you, such as SMS/phone call with a special ring tone.)
Take frequent breaks in order to give yourself time to relax, recover, and synthesize the work done so far. I’m still amazed at how often I realize that I wasted 30 minutes doing entirely the wrong thing. At least it’s only 30 minutes and not four hours or the whole day!

This is how I structure my daily work and it feels wonderful! This technique lies at the heart of safely forgetting, which is a key skill for working with less stress and more ease.

References

David Allen, Getting Things Done. My system for finishing work.

J. B. Rainsberger, “Getting Started with Getting Things Done”. If you can’t read a book yet, then surely you can read four pages.

J. B. Rainsberger, “The Two-Minute Rule”. When a request for work finds you, if you can complete it in two minutes, then do it now; otherwise, schedule it for later.

John Kotter, A Sense of Urgency. Don’t fall into the trap of false urgency, so that you have energy to deal with truly urgent things.

pomodorotechnique.com. One specific method for restricting your work to short bursts of time. I don’t do exactly this, but I used to do exactly this, and it helped me develop some of the discipline upon which I now rely.

followupthen.com: A wonderful service for both following up on emails and setting reminders for yourself. Tell them that jbrains sent you.

This is the “gather wood, check the traps” loop of playing A Dark Room. (Warning: This game is excellent and will not facilitate productive work, in case that matters to you right now.) ↩