Write every Action Step starting with a verb

An Action Step that begins with a verb is completable; one that doesn’t is usually a wish or a category, not a task.

Why it works

Language structure shapes action readiness. A task phrased as "Website redesign" requires parsing to determine what needs to happen; "Draft website redesign brief by Friday" is immediately actionable. Verb-led phrasing forces specificity: you cannot write "Send" without also identifying to whom and what. This specificity is functionally equivalent to an implementation intention — the research basis for why when-what-who task specification improves follow-through.

How to do it

1. Before writing any Action Step, begin with an active verb: Send, Draft, Schedule, Decide, Review, Ask, Call.
2. After the verb, identify the object (what) and, where relevant, the recipient (who) and deadline (when).
3. If you cannot start with a specific verb, the item is probably a project or a theme — it needs to be broken down further.

Evidence

Implementation intention research (Gollwitzer & Sheeran 2006) demonstrates that specific when-what planning improves follow-through by a medium-to-large effect. Verb-led phrasing is the Action Method’s operationalization of that specificity. (mechanistic)

Implementation-intention research is about when-and-where specificity; verb-led phrasing is the Action Method’s proxy for that specificity. The exact mapping has not been independently tested.

Sources

• Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006), implementation intentions and goal achievement, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology

Common mistake

Stacking multiple actions into one verb phrase ("Email John and review the proposal and schedule a call") — each is a separate Action Step and should be written as one.