A plan answers “where am I going?” Action begins with “what happens now?” The two need a bridge.
Build a starting package
Define five elements:
- Cue: When, or after which event, will you begin?
- Place: Where are the necessary materials already available?
- Action: What will you physically do?
- Artifact: What will exist at the end of the block?
- Limit: When will you stop and examine the result?
For example:
After the 11:30 meeting, I will remain at my desk, open the document, and spend 25 minutes writing a five-section outline.
This instruction removes several decisions from the moment of starting. It also gives the work block a visible end.
Use the one-artifact rule
Do not try to “move the project forward.” Create one thing that allows the next decision:
- a list of questions;
- a rough diagram;
- the first calculation;
- a draft email;
- a mockup of one screen.
Until the block ends, do not switch tools or rebuild the entire plan. Put new ideas in a note and continue.
There is one useful exception: if you discover a fact without which progress is impossible, clarifying that fact becomes the result of the block. Send the question, test the assumption, or request the missing access.
Let action update the plan
After the block, record:
- What did the artifact reveal?
- Which assumption changed?
- What should be adjusted?
- What is the next observable action?
The relationship now runs in both directions. The plan starts the action, and evidence from the action improves the plan.
If preparation has already become excessive, read when planning becomes procrastination. If the plan itself creates delay, review when planning does not help.