What Three Things?

Domain: Personal Effectiveness - Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Have you ever felt paralyzed by a really challenging decision or situation? One where the issue just weighed on you and you weren't sure what to do? It's safe to say that most of us have.

There is endless guidance on what to do in these types of scenarios and each comes with their own advantages. Today, I'm going to share one that I find to be simple, effective and beneficial for passing along to others…

“What three things?”

The concept is so simple, you have probably already guessed it from the title.

When you find yourself stuck like this, you are going to sit down and physically write down three things (hence the name) that you can do to begin working towards a solution. In other words: "What three things can I do to address…".

It's important to clarify that you are not writing three solutions. If it were that easy, you would have already solved it. Instead, you are writing three small steps that you can take to get you closer to a solution…even if you don't know what that solution is yet.

Your three things can be anything. Examples include getting more data, having a conversation with a specific individual or starting a project plan for a large deliverable.

Why three?

Our funny human brains prefers ideas in groups of three.

Beyond that, limiting the list to three items prevents you from brainstorming 40+ things. That type of volume tends to keep you just as lost as you already are.

Once you start taking the immediate small actions you've written down, the subsequent steps and eventual solution usually reveal themselves.

When you list only three, they are likely to be the most obvious to get you unstuck. And that's the whole point…

Taking action

This exercise is meant to get you out of your head and taking action. Physically writing three things down is even an action itself. That's why we suggest writing it down as opposed to keeping the thoughts in your head. By writing them down, you have manifested the ideas into the physical world.

This manifestation is particularly helpful if you are busy in the immediate moment or find yourself struggling to sleep because your mind is racing with the problem at hand. Taking a few minutes to sit down and write three actions allows you to get the worry (mostly) out of your head and put a plan into motion. Then, as soon as you are free, you can begin taking action on your three things.

Great for sharing

Because this concept is so simple, versatile and actionable…it's a really great tool to provide to your directs to help them work through their own challenges. I've personally experienced people using this on my teams to great effect. Helping your team become better problem solvers is a gift that keeps on giving.

Thank you for reading. My hope is always that you've found something helpful and easy to implement. If you have feedback, suggestions or questions, please email them to [email protected] 

This week’s action items:

1. The next time you are faced with a complex challenge, get a pen and paper and write down three immediate actions you can take to start moving towards a resolution.

2. Use the list to start taking those immediate actions as soon as you have the chance.

3. Share the strategy with your directs so that they can utilize it with their own challenges.