One of the things that I am attempting to cultivate into my life as I have been attempting to organize and clarify over the past year is the concept of "do it now". While it seems to be a very simplistic approach, I have found it to be an extremely powerful tool in both managing my time and clarify my thought process.

Time was when I was in the habit of letting tasks pile up, putting them off to some future time period when I would somehow be able to manage them. Now, although not perfect, I make an attempt to handle all things where possible at the moment I encounter them. For example, when I receive a bill in the mail instead of letting it pile up on my desk where I am likely to forget about it, I now sign the check, seal the envelope, put a stamp on it, and post it to the outgoing mail without ever sitting down or placing it on my desk. When I make my eggs for breakfast in the morning without setting the pan in the sink (after I have dished out my breakfast of course) I immediately soap down the pan, and in a matter of seconds it is clean and placed on a drying rack. Dishes never accumulate, bills never go unpaid and these items never rest in the back of my mind.

It may seem trivial to talk about paying a utility bill or washing out a pan for breakfast, but I am attempting to apply that principle in every single aspect of my work and life. Wherever possible when I am asked to do something, get something, dispose of something, deal with something I attempt to do it in full at that very moment and then forget about it.

Life, of course being what it is means that some tasks will literally be more efficiently done at a later time. To which I use my corollary "do it now, later". While this may seem like simply putting things off, it is a completely different frame of mind. I consciously choose a time in this task will be better accomplished. And, by sticking to this time with the same frame of mind of "do it now" I continued the same framework of efficiency and clarity.

I have found this difference extremely powerful in my life, and, if you are like me, and wish to be more in control of your time and thoughts, I encourage you to try this method of task handling.