Aug 14 • 4 min read
The One-Touch Rule
The One-Touch Rule: Why Jessica Tripled Her Output by Never Touching the Same Task TwiceJessica had a system for everything. Color-coded calendars, detailed project boards, task lists sorted by priority. Her course creation business looked incredibly organized from the outside. But here's what was actually happening: Jessica was "processing" the same tasks 4-6 times before completing them. She'd see a customer email, read it, think "I'll handle this after lunch," and mark it unread. After lunch, she'd read it again, realize she needed to check something first, and leave it for later. Two days later, she'd read it a third time, start typing a response, get interrupted, and save it as a draft. "I'm super organized," she told me. "I never lose track of anything. But I feel like I'm always behind, even though I work 50+ hours a week." When we tracked her workflow for one week: Jessica was touching each task an average of 4.2 times before completing it. No wonder she felt busy but unproductive. The Problem: The Multi-Touch Trap Is Stealing Your MomentumHere's the brutal truth: Every time you touch a task without completing it, you're creating hidden work. David (Consulting):
Sarah (E-commerce):
Marcus (Content Creator):
The pattern is devastating: Small business owners spend 30-40% of their "productive" time re-doing work they've already started. The Hidden PsychologyIt's not laziness or poor time management. It's three traps:
The Framework: The One-Touch Rule SystemThe highest-performing entrepreneurs follow one principle: Touch it once, complete it once, move on. The Touch Decision MatrixWhen any task enters your awareness, choose one option immediately: DO - Complete it now (2 minutes or less) DELEGATE - Assign with clear instructions DEFER - Schedule for specific time with defined parameters DELETE - Eliminate entirely Critical rule: You must choose the first time you encounter the task. No "I'll decide later." The 2-Minute Rule (Upgraded)Standard rule: If something takes less than 2 minutes, do it now. The upgrade: If something will take 2 minutes every time you touch it, do it now regardless of total completion time. Example: A customer email requiring a 10-minute response. If you read it (2 minutes), think about it (2 minutes), and draft mentally (2 minutes) every time you touch it, you're spending 6+ minutes without progress. Better to spend 10 minutes once than 2 minutes six times. The Defer ProtocolBad defer: "I'll handle this customer complaint later when I have more time." Good defer: "Tuesday 10am: Respond to Sarah's refund request - check policy doc first, then draft using empathy template." The difference? Specific time, specific context, specific next action. Real Example: Jessica's TransformationCustomer Support Before:
Customer Support After:
Content Creation Before:
Content Creation After:
Results after 8 weeks:
Implementation PlanToday: Track how many times you touch each task before completing it. Just observe. Tomorrow: Pick one task category (usually email). Apply DO/DELEGATE/DEFER/DELETE to each new task the first time you see it. Day 3: Implement the upgraded 2-minute rule. Day 4-5: Practice the specific defer format for tasks you can't complete immediately. Week 2: Extend to your second-biggest time drain. Week 3: Set up batching boundaries for tasks that benefit from grouping. Common PitfallsThe "Complex Task" Exception: Complex tasks still follow the rule. Your first touch might be "spend 20 minutes defining what needs to be done and when." Complete that definitional work in one touch. The Perfectionism Override: Define "complete" before starting. For most tasks, "good enough to move forward" is complete. The Interruption Excuse: When interrupted, spend 30 seconds writing exactly where you left off. This eliminates "re-reading to remember" touches. Batch Drift: Set maximum batch sizes and time limits. When you hit either, complete everything before adding new items. Jessica's business transformed not because she learned new productivity tricks, but because she stopped doing the same work repeatedly. Her customer emails went from 18.3 minutes (spread across days) to 8.7 minutes (one session). That's not just faster - it's also better for customers and less stressful for her. The goal isn't to rush through carelessly - it's to complete thoughtfully the first time so you can move on to creating value instead of re-creating work. If you want to workshop workflow optimization with other entrepreneurs, we dive into this regularly in our Skool community. The Platform Purge guide also has complete one-touch templates and systems. But you can start eliminating multi-touch cycles today with the DO/DELEGATE/DEFER/DELETE matrix. What's one category of tasks you know you're touching multiple times before completing?
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Simple takes work, but it works.