diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6d5e49b..2c206f2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -43,4 +43,22 @@ UpdateNetworkGraph is queued at a time, regardless of the
 repo_id. Normally a job is locked using a combination of its
 class name and arguments.
 
+If you don't want to have to wait until a job has completed
+before being able to enqueue another job with the same
+arguments, you can set the `unlock_while_performing` flag:
+
+    class UpdateNetworkGraph
+      extend Resque::Plugins::Lock
+      @unlock_while_performing = true
+
+      # etc ...
+    end
+
+With this option set, another job of the same type with the
+same arguments can be queued even while the original one is
+being performed. Otherwise, the queue will remain locked
+until the job has completed. This option can be useful if you
+know that some data has changed which the currently-performing
+job will not have taken into account.
+
 [rq]: http://github.com/defunkt/resque
diff --git a/lib/resque/plugins/lock.rb b/lib/resque/plugins/lock.rb
index dccfff2..716a0ce 100644
--- a/lib/resque/plugins/lock.rb
+++ b/lib/resque/plugins/lock.rb
@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ def before_enqueue_lock(*args)
         now > Resque.redis.getset(key, timeout).to_i
       end
 
+      def before_perform_lock(*args)
+        Resque.redis.del(lock(*args)) if @unlock_while_performing
+      end
+
       def around_perform_lock(*args)
         begin
           yield
diff --git a/test/lock_test.rb b/test/lock_test.rb
index 5e4a25c..ec480bc 100644
--- a/test/lock_test.rb
+++ b/test/lock_test.rb
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ def self.perform
   def setup
     Resque.redis.del('queue:lock_test')
     Resque.redis.del(Job.lock)
+    Resque.redis.del(JobWithOptionalQueueOnlyLocking.lock)
   end
 
   def test_lint
@@ -57,4 +58,41 @@ def test_deadlock
     Resque.enqueue(Job)
     assert_equal 2, Resque.redis.llen('queue:lock_test')
   end
+
+  class JobWithOptionalQueueOnlyLocking
+    extend Resque::Plugins::Lock
+    @queue = :lock_test
+    class << self
+      attr_accessor :unlock_while_performing
+    end
+
+    def self.perform
+      Resque.enqueue(self)
+      if unlock_while_performing
+        raise 'this job should be queueable while it is running' unless
+          Resque.redis.llen('queue:lock_test') == 1
+      else
+        raise 'this job should NOT be queueable while it is running' unless
+          Resque.redis.llen('queue:lock_test') == 0
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  def test_queue_is_normally_locked_when_job_running
+    JobWithOptionalQueueOnlyLocking.unlock_while_performing = nil
+    Resque.enqueue(JobWithOptionalQueueOnlyLocking)
+    job  = Resque.reserve('lock_test')
+    job.perform
+  rescue => e
+    flunk e.message
+  end
+
+  def test_queue_only_locking
+    JobWithOptionalQueueOnlyLocking.unlock_while_performing = true
+    Resque.enqueue(JobWithOptionalQueueOnlyLocking)
+    job  = Resque.reserve('lock_test')
+    job.perform
+  rescue => e
+    flunk e.message
+  end
 end