Productivity system created by Behance founder Scott Belsky that organizes projects into Action Steps, Backburner Items, and References. Emphasizes bias toward action by breaking everything into concrete next steps, ensuring projects move forward rather than remaining aspirational.
The Action Method is a productivity system developed by Scott Belsky, founder of Behance, designed to transform ideas into action by organizing all projects into three core elements: Action Steps, Backburner Items, and References.
Definition: Concrete, specific tasks that move projects forward
Characteristics:
Examples:
Not Action Steps:
Definition: Ideas or items to address later
Purpose:
Examples:
Definition: Supporting materials, information, and resources
Types:
Purpose: Everything you might need but isn't an action
The Action Method treats all work as projects:
Philosophy: Ideas mean nothing without execution
Implementation:
Rule: If a project has no action steps, it's dead
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For each project:
Daily:
Weekly:
Problem: "Work on website" isn't actionable Solution: "Draft homepage copy for website"
Problem: Spread thin across dozens of projects Solution: Limit active projects, move others to backburner
Problem: Scattered to-do list items Solution: Associate every action with a project
Problem: Good ideas forgotten Solution: Weekly backburner review