Two minute rule

[cojo]

I have to be careful with the two minute rule...particularly with housework, where many chores take less than two minutes, I've spent a couple of hours on "two minute" items!!

But I find it works well to keep things at bay.

@ work:
- respond to emailed questions (most common)
- schedule meetings electronically
- put away files and open projects
- read a longer email and compile next actions based on the email
- return short phone calls

@ home:
- close cabinet doors (I am really bad about leaving them open)
- make the bed - with a simple setup, easy to do in under 2 minutes
- put a few dishes in the dishwasher
- move clutter from the wrong room to the right room
- bring items in from the car
- answer personal emails (for the sake of the two minute rule, this is usually paying bills electronically)
- put clothes in the washing machine or dryer

 

[Borisoff]

Maybe I'm a procrastinator but I don't use a 2 minute rule during my processing time. I have only 30-45 minutes a day to process my stuff. Why should I go into Doing mode during that golden time? I prefer to do everything after that as during those 2 minutes I might process 2 weeks of calendar plus 10 emails

 

[kewms]

Maybe I'm a procrastinator but I don't use a 2 minute rule during my processing time. I have only 30-45 minutes a day to process my stuff. Why should I go into Doing mode during that golden time? I prefer to do everything after that as during those 2 minutes I might process 2 weeks of calendar plus 10 emails

FWIW, the reason for the two minute rule is (according to DA) that if an item takes less than two minutes, it's faster to just do it than to write it on your list. So since you have to do these items at some point anyway, I'm not sure you're actually saving any time.

Put another way, when *do* you do two-minute items?

The exception I can think of that would make sense is if your two-minute items are relatively portable--phone calls that you can make from your car between appointments, say--but then it might be worthwhile to think about ways to make a portable Inbox as well, to expand your available processing time.

Katherine

 

[Sievert]

typical 2 minute tasks

2 minute tasks, for me would be...

-read a corporate newsletter (skim read - toss if nothing worth reading in more detail, keep if there is (goes to read/review tray)

-very quick piece of web research

-a quick call to ask someone to do a straightforward task (eg, hey could you email me that document you've been working on)

- very quick email response to something that is straightforward (everything else get filed in 'defer' or 'read/review'

- update my journal

- email out some information that's been asked for, or give people a heads up

- print off meeting agenda/notes to review at a later date