Jens Poder has a great piece on productivity / multi tasking, Stop doing half-actions
One of the main productivity tips I have been given is this: eliminate half-actions in your daily habits. Focus on getting the job done to a level, where the value of the job is achieved.
"It's only the last turn of a bolt that tightens it - the rest is just movement." - Shigeo Shingo
It's particularly embarrassing for me to post this, as the article has been sitting in my "blog this" queue for several days. I keep looking at it, thinking I'd better get started. Or I get it copied into my editor and write a sentence or two before my tightly-wound mind jumps over to something else. Having this article in front of me has forced me to think about those half-actions. How many emails do I have half-written? How many websites do I have open where I'd like to do something with the content (mostly blogging about it)? How many documents and applications are open with work partially completed?
Why is this so important? As someone who wants to contribute to my company and to the world around me, I have to remember that a half-action is just a lot of movement. It's the last step that is the contribution.
Half-completed knowledgework doesn’t mature with age, like fine wine. It gets stale and crumbles like bread. Stop a couple of times every day, and ask yourself: “Am I about to complete this?”