The 2 Minute Rule
Photo by Veri Ivanova on Unsplash
I’ve got a quick one for you today and it’s perhaps the simplest (and maybe my favorite) tip of all time: the 2-minute rule.
Maybe you’ve heard of it, but are you implementing it consistently?
What does the 2 minute rule even mean? (And no, it’s not about eating things off the floor!)
Well, it just meant that if it’s going to take less than 2 minutes, just do it…now.
A paper comes across your desk; file it.
You see a mess on the floor; clean it up.
You get an invitation; RSVP.
Following the 2 minute rule allows you to keep your task system in check. If it takes less time than 2 minutes, it’s not worth putting in your system, and it’s not worth thinking about again.
Just do it now, check it off, and don’t think about it for one more second.
Now, that doesn’t mean you should let yourself be distracted and interrupted by these things. Just jot them down in your note system, and when you get to the end of a work block, or at the end of the day when you are transferring your actionable notes into your system (you’re doing this, right??), just do these things.
You’ll be amazed by how productive you feel, and by how much relief you get by simply not having all these little things hanging over your head.
How many things a day do you think about doing, but not actually do? How many emails have you read, and then marked as unread, when the response would take less than 2 minutes? I challenge you to start implementing this tip today!