MENTAL MODEL · M7049

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BusinessmediumManagement

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Updated 2026-08-10

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

A concept from David Allen's Getting Things Done method, defined as the next physical action that would visibly move a project forward, expressed concretely enough to be executed without further planning. Its core proposition is that a vague commitment such as advancing a project stays in the mind as an open loop that consumes attention without producing action, whereas converting it into one specific action removes the decision cost at the moment of execution. The qualifier is that the action must be genuinely physical and context-specific.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

- Vague extraction: pull one unresolved item out of your list and examine what it actually requires. - Action question: ask what the smallest physical step toward it would be. - Context tagging: note the setting, such as computer, phone, or errand, where the step can be done.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

An undefined commitment keeps the mind cycling through possibilities without reaching a decision, which occupies working memory continuously. Naming one concrete physical action closes that loop by pre-deciding what to do, so execution requires no further deliberation and the mental space held by the open item is released.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/1

Practice this model in one real situation:

Take one unresolved item from your project list. 2. Ask what the smallest physical step forward would be. 3. Write it as a verb plus object plus context, such as call this person. 4. Tag the context and execute it in a matching batch.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

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Source support: Explicit

link
en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_DoneZH · Explicit
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