Before I ask a question or write a response I think of the “if” and the “then”. I ask myself “If” this happens “then” what? Pause and think about the “then” before you hit send on that email.

Thinking one step beyond your question will save you time.

Just yesterday I received a legal document that the principal of the firm needed to sign. Instead of just forwarded it to him for his signature.

I created an “if – then scenario”  – if I send this off what is going to be the first question I get asked. Given it was a legal document I knew it was going to be, did our attorney review it.

The whole scenario only took a matter of moments to play out in my mind but it saved several exchanges with my boss.

Doing this also helps to be proactive instead of reactive to a situation.

I try to apply this to everything.

• Emails – Before you reply or forward something, take a moment and think about the next action. If a person says yes to your meeting what are some times and dates that will work for you.
• Phone calls – You should have a clearly defined “if” when you call someone. You also want to have a few “then’s” so that you can have a clear concise call with the person.
• Meeting Agendas – First off you have an agenda for every meeting you conduct – right? Think of every item as an “if then scenario”. If the client approves something great what if they don’t. What’s the “then” or script to getting them to give you an answer. Yes this is calculated and planned out.

By saving time you are being more productive. Keeping the mandatory mundane stuff to a minimum allows you to have extra time for the creative stuff. I find people that I interact with appreciate me thinking about the problem at hand and taking the extra steps to help streamline the process.

Let’s talk more about this on Twitter.