Would you like to know one of my tried and true strategies for getting stuff done? I call it the Two-Minute Rule.
It’s very simple:
If a task takes less than two minutes then do it now.
I ran across this concept in a time-management book a few years ago and since then I have been noticing how often I am in the habit of postponing small tasks that could be done in less than two minutes.
I do it a lot. With everything from household tasks to emails.
Why do I put these things off? Any number of reasons:
- Bad habits
- I don’t feel like it
- Fear (ie. the dreaded phone!)
- I’d rather work on something else
- It’s not yet critical
- I think it will take longer than it really will
That last one has been very eye-opening. We humans are often not very good judges of how much time something takes. You may be surprised what you can accomplish in two minutes. (Alternately, you may be surprised by what actually takes longer than two minutes. That’s important knowledge, too.)
What fits in your two minutes?
Try timing yourself and see what sorts of tasks you can finish in two minutes or less. Here are a few that work for me:
- fold a load of laundry
- put the folded laundry away
- take something all the way upstairs and put it where it belongs (gasp!)
- skim through an email (or five)
- reply to an invitation
- send a quick email
- fill out a form
- get the mail from the mailbox,
- file that paper (Placing it in the pile on top of the filing cabinet does not count!)
Why I like the Two-Minute Rule
The Two-Minute Rule has helped me in many ways. First of all, it has changed my mindset. I used to look at the list of emails and feel dismayed at all those items waiting for my attention. Now I can know I can whisk through several in two minutes, looking for the few that actually require my attention. Another mindset improvement is overcoming the do-it-later mentality. It will take less than two minutes, I tell myself. Why not just do it? Finally, the fewer little tasks I have weighing me down, the better I feel about life.
Keep it flexible
Obviously, there is nothing magical about one hundred twenty seconds. I could pick a different time limit, like one minute or four minutes. In fact, it makes sense to adjust the time limit depending on the day and the situation. During a busy work day the limit might be thirty seconds, while on a weekend five minutes may make more sense.
Like any strategy, the Two-Minute Rule is merely a tool. It should never become a source of guilt. You need to figure out which tools work best for you in whatever situation you are facing.
Are you ready to try the Two-Minute Rule?
