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# ☄️ Preemptively Closing Loops & Go Bags
- URL: https://www.3dproductivity.com/preemptively-closing-loops-amp-go-bags/
- Published: 2024-10-02T03:54:54.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-19T03:02:22.000Z
- Description: The fewer decisions I have to make before I head out, the better. Something as simple as having a bag that's ready to go without much thought effectively closes loops before they even open.
- Author: Ryan Pavel
- Tags: method, tools, travel, #Migrated-1767551753908, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-04 18:35

Yeah, that's right. Another post about loop closing — [do the thing immediately or write it down](https://www.3dproductivity.com/write-it-down/). It's just too darn effective to put on the back burner. See Exhibit A, a couple messages I received a week or so ago:

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/a8/eba88b61-e329-4b74-bd45-92d27436c6e0/content/images/2026/01/img_4169-1-jpeg.jpg)

A few weeks back, [I opined on the value of adding a preliminary step](https://www.3dproductivity.com/joy-in-saying-no/): before you do or write down the task, *decide if you should do the task in the first place*. Otherwise, you default to taking on everything, fully accomplishing very little.

Today, I'm thinking about another addition to the framework: closing loops before they even have a chance to open.

Here's a picture to demonstrate the point:

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/a8/eba88b61-e329-4b74-bd45-92d27436c6e0/content/images/2026/01/img_4226-1-jpeg.jpg)

This is my go bag within a go bag. More specifically, it's my [Topo Briefcase](https://amzn.to/3BpEZKx?ref=3dproductivity.com), [Peak Designs Tech Pouch](https://amzn.to/3ZMbCvW?ref=3dproductivity.com), [huge but wonderful Anker Power Bank](https://amzn.to/3BptYcj?ref=3dproductivity.com), [Anker 3-in-1 Charging Station](https://amzn.to/3N8cGCV?ref=3dproductivity.com), and [Anker Prime 100W Charger](https://amzn.to/47UaVTp?ref=3dproductivity.com) (all Amazon affiliate links — I look forward to spending the one point five cents I earn if every imaginable reader uses those links to buy those products). My go bag also contains my gluten enzymes. Thanks for asking.

I'm on the road a lot. The fewer decisions I have to make before I head out, the better. Something as simple as having a bag that's ready to go without much thought effectively closes loops before they even open — I don't have to create a task list of things I need to pack, I just have to grab the Topo.

So here's my working revision of the closing loops strategy:

- Preemptively close loops where you can
- When a potential task arrives, ask whether you *should* take on that task
- If you take on the task, do it right away if possible / logical
- If you can't do it right away, write it down in a place you'll come back to later

Before long, this'll be a twenty step process. Enjoy it being this short while you can.

\--

Hurricane Helene was devastating and heartbreaking. A trusted colleague recommended [The Appalachia Funder Network's Helene Response Fund](https://www.appalachiafunders.org/?ref=3dproductivity.com) as a way to support locally the most impacted communities. That's where I'll be donating, and I encourage you to do the same.