Entry by Doing is a bit different from the Hammer as described in my post yesterday.
In the Hammer a short list of tasks is written (usually five or less) and then the tasks are done.
However in an Entry by Doing method a task can only be entered on the list by actually doing it there and then.
The simplest form of this is where you write the next task you are going to do and then doing it. You then write the next task you are going to do and do that. The effect of writing it down before you do it is to make you think about what you are going to do next rather than drift into it. It’s an aid to focus.
Once a task is on the list it can be re-entered if there is still work to be done. This can be used with a system like Autofocius or FVP to make an active list in which all the tasks are actually in the course of being done.