Your list is long.
Your time is short.
You want progress, not motion.
Use three moves.
See. Decide. Do.
A short story
A product lead felt stuck.
Too many requests.
Nothing finished.
We tried this system for one week.
Every morning: See. Decide. Do.
By Friday two key deliverables shipped.
Stress went down.
Clarity went up.
Step 1: See
See what is real. Not what is loud.
- Open your calendar and task list.
- Write your top three outcomes for the week. One line each.
- Scan your tasks. Mark anything that moves those outcomes.
- Cross out or park the rest for now.
Questions that help
- What result will be true when this is done?
- Is this mine to do?
- What happens if I do nothing today?
Step 2: Decide
Choose on purpose.
- Pick one outcome to move today.
- Define “done” in one sentence.
- Choose the first slice you can finish in 45 to 90 minutes.
- Say what you will not do today.
Say it like this
- To a peer: “I am focused on X this morning. I can look at this at 3.”
- To your boss: “These are my three outcomes. If I add this, which one should drop?”
- To yourself: “One slice. Then share it.”
Step 3: Do
Protect the block. Finish the slice.
- Block 60 to 90 minutes on your calendar.
- Close chat and email.
- Open only what you need.
- Start. Ship. Share.
After you ship
- Write one line: what moved, what is next.
- Schedule the next slice if needed.
The 12-minute daily reset
Minute 0–3: Brain dump. List every open loop.
Minute 4–6: Pick the one outcome that moves your week.
Minute 7–8: Define done in one line.
Minute 9–10: Name the first slice.
Minute 11–12: Block the time. Guard it.
Start the block now.
Common traps
- Ten priorities. Choose one.
- Vague outcomes. Write the finish line.
- Endless planning. Take the first step.
- Constant checking. Batch messages twice a day.
- Starting new before finishing old. Limit to two active items.
Tools that help
- A one-page tracker: Week Outcomes, Today’s One Thing, Parking Lot.
- A visible WIP limit: only two active tasks.
- A simple checklist for “done.”
- A five-minute shutdown note: what moved, what is blocked.
For managers
- Publish the team’s three weekly outcomes.
- Kill or merge low-value work.
- Protect focus blocks.
- Approve fast. Decide fast.
- Praise finished outcomes, not heroic hours.
For remote teams
- Post the week’s outcomes on Monday.
- Use async updates by 4 pm.
- Record decisions in one place.
- Replace long meetings with short decision notes.
One-minute prep card
Write three lines before you start:
- Outcome: what will be true when done.
- Slice: the smallest step that creates real progress.
- Block: when you will do it.
If you cannot write it, you are not ready to do it.
Tiny action now
Open your calendar.
Block one 60-minute focus slot today.
Pick one slice.
Start and finish.
Share what moved.
The bigger frame
See gives you truth.
Decide gives you direction.
Do gives you momentum.
Small clean wins.
Every day.
That is how big work gets done.