Even whenever you’re overwhelmed by looming duties, there’s a straightforward solution to knock out a number of of them to acquire momentum. It’s referred to as the “two-minute rule” and it may well enable you to be extra productive in class, work, and at dwelling.
What’s the 2 minute rule?
The 2 minute rule got here from David Allen, writer of Getting Issues Performed. The thought is easy: If you may get one thing completed in two minutes, simply do it. Don’t suppose it over. Don’t ponder whether or not it’s kind of necessary than the heavier lifts you must do. If it takes two minutes or much less to get completed, simply do it proper now.
Doing duties after they’re nonetheless small potatoes stops them from snowballing into larger initiatives—the sort that take longer than two minutes. For example, it takes you lower than two minutes to scrub the dishes after a single meal. Should you allow them to pile up each time you eat, it’ll take longer whenever you lastly need to do it, and also you’re extra more likely to procrastinate figuring out that it’s going to be a time-suck.
Getting a bunch of minor duties knocked off your to-do record builds momentum: With a number of smaller tasks taken care of, you’re more likely to really feel extra able to diving into deeper work. This technique is just like the concept of “consuming the frog” in that means, though there are notable variations: While you observe “consuming the frog,” you knock out your greatest duty first; whenever you use the two-minute rule, you do the alternative. Which you select will depend on the kind of work you have got and your private desire, however each end in a sense of accomplishment that may propel you thru the remainder of your workload.
Learn how to use the 2 minute rule successfully
In contrast to consuming the frog, the 2 minute rule isn’t particular about getting your activity completed instantly whenever you get up. Somewhat, it encourages you to do any easy activity the second it happens to you. Consider the issues that lead you to procrastinate in an everyday day. For me, it’s responding to emails: I see emails are available in however don’t reply instantly, although that will take me just a few seconds. Eventually have to reply, however with the added weight of expressing regret for my premature reply on prime of addressing regardless of the authentic message was about. Utilizing the two minute rule helps hold such a dinky little activity from hanging over my head all day. It’d seem to be work in a given second, nevertheless it helps forestall larger initiatives later.
