Touch It Once

The "Touch It Once" principle is a time management technique that dictates that once you pick up a task, email, document, or any piece of work, you should deal with it completely before moving on to something else. This avoids the wasted time and effort of revisiting the same item multiple times.

Key Principles

• Avoid Procrastination: Don't open an email or a file until you are ready to take action on it.
• Reduce Clutter: Prevents a backlog of half-finished tasks.
• Improve Focus: Encourages you to concentrate on a single task until it's completed.

Implementation

• If you open an email, either respond to it, archive it, or create a task from it and file it away. Don't just read it and leave it in your inbox.
• If you start a task, work on it until it is complete or you have reached a predetermined stopping point.
• This principle requires a good organizational system, such as folders for work in progress, to be effective.

This is a core component of the Six Steps to Great Time Management.