The 2-Minute Rule: How to boost your productivity and avoid procrastination

“If an action will take less than two minutes, it should be done at the moment it’s defined.”

David Allen

We all want to be more productive, not waste our time, do all of our tasks, have a healthy and balanced life. But, no matter our motivation or how well organized we are..we procrastinate on big tasks because they feel too challenging and on small tasks because they feel too easy to complete.

The thing is small tasks such as “responding to an email”, “doing the dishes”, “tidying your workplace” tend to pile up on your to-do list to the point they feel huge.

What is the 2-minute rule ?

The 2-minute rule is a simple, yet powerful time management method. The concept of the 2-minute rule is: if a task takes less than two minutes to complete, you should do it right away. 

It’s a great method to avoid procrastination and small tasks to add up.

How to apply the 2-minute rule ?

1. Identify your tasks

1. Identify your tasks: The first step is to know which tasks will take you two minutes or less to complete.
   These could be replying to an email that doesn’t require extra work, a text, tidying your desk etc
   
   If a task takes longer or if you have a big task that feel too challenging to start, you can try breaking it down into smaller tasks. This way you can start and accomplish this bigger task or project step by step using the 2-minute rule.
   
2. Do these tasks immediately: Taking action right now will help you fight procrastination. Don’t wait for things to get big and overwhelming.
   
3. Make it a habit: Create a new habit to address small tasks as soon as they pop up. After some time it will help you become more productive and stop procrastination.

What are the benefits of the two-minute rule ?

1. Reduces procrastination

Each one of us procrastinates, and often we delay small tasks because we feel like they’re too simple or insignificant. 

By using the 2-minute rule and taking action immediately when a small task pops up you will reduce the chance of delaying a task you could have done in two minutes or less.

This approach will allow you to focus on more important things, be productive and will motivate you for the rest of your day.

2. It’s flexible

See the 2-minute rule as a guide. Depending on your lifestyle and preferences you can always adjust it by extending the cutoff to five or ten minutes.

“If you have a long open window of time in which to process your in-tray, you can extend the cutoff for each item to five or ten minutes. If you’ve got to get to the bottom of all your input rapidly, in order to figure out how best to use your afternoon, then you may want to shorten the time to one minute, or even thirty seconds, so you can get through everything a little faster” – David Allen

3. Easy to implement

You don’t need any specific tool. The 2-minute rule is a really simple and straightforward time management method. You don’t even have to write down small tasks on your to-do lists. The concept is to just do it.

4. Declutters your mind

When you let small tasks build up, they often create an overwhelming feeling that stays in your mind which can lead to stress and stop you from focusing.
Taking quick action to complete tasks that don’t take longer than two minutes will reduce overthinking and help you control your time.

Hope this post is going to be helpful on your journey to create better habits for a better lifestyle.

Note: Don’t forget to celebrate your wins