I was introduced to the only handle it once (OHIO) principle a little over a month ago through John Halamka's very informative blog. I had to try it out and see for myself if it worked before sharing it.
The idea seemed so simple and obvious, I put it into effect immediately after reading his post. Handling the majority of work-related tasks only once is as easy as it sounds. Maintaining it is about making friends with your conscience. John puts it simply:
The idea seemed so simple and obvious, I put it into effect immediately after reading his post. Handling the majority of work-related tasks only once is as easy as it sounds. Maintaining it is about making friends with your conscience. John puts it simply:
"The end result of this approach is that I truly only handle each issue, document, or phone call once. It's processed and it's done without delay or a growing inbox. I work hard not to be the rate limiting step to any process."
That's it.
I used to check my email right when I got out of bed, simmering over my responses as I got ready for work. The ten minutes I took to do so was mostly deleting, prioritizing and marking items as unread so I could get back to them. This added little benefit and made my morning routine more stressful.
Now, when I open an email, or even unlock my phone to check it, I know for a fact that I'm going to deal with it then and there. No putting it off, no delays. This doesn't necessarily lessen the pile of work on my desk, but it lessens the noise in my mind. Putting my entire focus on the task at hand lets me read, digest, respond and move on.
I used to check my email right when I got out of bed, simmering over my responses as I got ready for work. The ten minutes I took to do so was mostly deleting, prioritizing and marking items as unread so I could get back to them. This added little benefit and made my morning routine more stressful.
Now, when I open an email, or even unlock my phone to check it, I know for a fact that I'm going to deal with it then and there. No putting it off, no delays. This doesn't necessarily lessen the pile of work on my desk, but it lessens the noise in my mind. Putting my entire focus on the task at hand lets me read, digest, respond and move on.
I've only mentioned email so far because it represents such a huge portion of my work, but OHIO works in most cases. Research, writing, brainstorming, scheduling, delegating all work well when handled only once. If there's follow up necessary, I've only sped the process along so I can take care of the next step.
What happens when I don't handle it once? It's a constant nag if I skip out on something and say I'll do it later. I know from years of experience not doing it this way that I'll have to deal with it anyway the next day on top of whatever else arrives. It's not worth it and I get back on track as quickly as possible.
I have become much more efficient by following OHIO and my mind is much more at ease tackling only what I put in front of it. Quality and efficiency.
What happens when I don't handle it once? It's a constant nag if I skip out on something and say I'll do it later. I know from years of experience not doing it this way that I'll have to deal with it anyway the next day on top of whatever else arrives. It's not worth it and I get back on track as quickly as possible.
I have become much more efficient by following OHIO and my mind is much more at ease tackling only what I put in front of it. Quality and efficiency.
Try only handling tasks once and see what happens. I hope you have as good an experience as I have had.