Choose a repeated situation and write the first action you will take when it occurs. Add an exception that describes a real circumstance. Put the rule where you make the decision, then review whether it helped after several actual uses.
“Protect my time” is an intention. When a colleague asks for help, you still have to decide what that means. A short rule can make the next action easier to recall in a situation that keeps repeating.
Choose three situations from your real week. Start with things you have already noticed, rather than trying to write a philosophy for every part of life.
Use an action you can carry out
For a new request, the rule could be: “Before agreeing, I ask what needs doing and by when, then check my current commitments.” For an optional purchase: “Before paying, I check the full cost and what I already own.”
The action should be clear enough that you can tell whether you did it. “Be more sensible” offers little guidance when you are tired or under pressure.
Include the exception
Some situations need a different response. An urgent essential purchase may not allow a long pause. A genuine emergency may change which task comes first.
Describe the exception in practical language. If almost everything becomes an exception, investigate whether the rule fits your circumstances. A rule should help you make a judgement, not hide the need for one.
Put the rule on trial
Set a date to review it. Did you remember the action? Did it help? Was it unnecessarily complicated? You can revise the wording or replace the rule when you learn more.
Begin with three memorable rules you can use this week. Keep the ones that make decisions easier, then revise the others using what you learn in ordinary situations.
A reusable format
- When this situation happens…
- I will first do this…
- A sensible exception is…
- I will review the rule on…
Write your three versions in the place where they will be used. A purchasing note belongs near your purchase decisions; a workload check belongs near the calendar you consult before agreeing to work.
A rule for accepting requests
An illustrative exampleImagine regularly agreeing to weekend errands before checking the journey involved. Your rule could read: "Before accepting a collection, I ask for the address, the available times and the item size." Keep it in the note you use for household plans. On the next request, those questions reveal that the collection closes before you finish work. You can offer a different day immediately. An exception might cover collecting an essential item already on your route, provided the details are known. After a few uses, review which question prevented confusion and which felt unnecessary. Revise the wording to match the requests you receive, keeping the action short enough to remember during a phone call.
Build a usable rule
Tick the steps as you work through them.
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When exceptions take over
If the exception applies almost every time, the rule may be asking for something your circumstances rarely allow. Examine the last few cases. Perhaps you need a quick calendar check before agreeing, while a detailed estimate belongs only to larger requests. You can also discover that the trigger was too vague: "when things get busy" is harder to recognise than "when a new task is due this week." Keep a small set of rules. A long rulebook creates another collection to manage when you already need help making ordinary decisions.
Complete one rule
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