In the early 2000s, just out of college, I read Getting Things Done by David Allen. This was long before “inbox zero” was something anyone seriously believed in. I didn’t know it at the time, but that book quietly rewired how I thought about work, stress, and clarity.

There was one idea that stuck with me more than any productivity system or tool.

David said his life’s mission was for every discussion and meeting to end with one simple question:

What’s the next action?

Not the big vision. Not the strategy deck. Not the feelings about the thing.

Just: What is the next action? Who is doing what? By when?

At the time, it felt almost too simple. Borderline boring. And like many boring ideas, it turns out to be wildly effective.

First, let’s get clear on what a “next action” actually is and isn’t.

Writing things down like “Create a proposal,” “Meet with George,” or “Get the oil changed” feels productive, but those are not next actions.

The real next action is tangible and physical:

“Open a new blank Google Doc.” “Text George to schedule a meeting.” “Search for the nearest oil change and book it.”

That precision makes a huge psychological difference. It lowers friction. It short-circuits procrastination.

Here’s what I’ve learned after years of running a business, working with clients, leading teams, being married, parenting, and generally trying not to make life harder than it needs to be:

Most confusion isn’t caused by unmanageable complexity or overwhelming projects. It’s caused by missing next actions.

Projects feel heavy not because they’re big, but because they’re vague. Meetings feel draining because nothing lands. Relationships get tense because expectations are implied instead of stated.

All of that friction usually lives in one small gap.

Nobody stopped for ten seconds to decide what happens next. For themselves. For their team. For their kids or spouse.

It happens all the time. A great conversation with a client. Everyone’s aligned. Lots of nodding. Energy is high. Then a week goes by and…

No one intentionally dropped the ball. The play and pass were never clearly assigned.

This shows up at home even more than it does at work. You talk about something that needs to happen with your spouse or kids. It feels handled. Until it isn’t. And now there’s frustration layered on top of something that could have been solved with one sentence: What’s the very next action I can, or you can, take?

So here’s the habit that quietly fixes about 90 percent of this.

Before you end the conversation, take ten seconds and ask:

What’s the next action? Who owns it? When will it be done?

That’s it.

Ten seconds.

It feels almost silly the first few times. Like you’re over-clarifying. Like everyone already knows. They don’t. And neither do you as much as you think you do.

This habit shows up everywhere. Client calls. Internal meetings. Project reviews. Even casual Slack threads that start drifting into “we should probably” territory.

We don’t let conversations just fade out. We land them.

Because clarity is kind. And clarity is calming. And clarity lets people actually enjoy the work instead of mentally carrying it around all day.

What I love about this idea is that it takes work seriously without taking yourself too seriously.

Ten seconds of thinking now saves hours of confusion later.

See you next Saturday.