I got the 2 minute rule wrong.

[bishblaize]

I don't disagree that a well oiled workflow is critical. However, I was referring more to the fact that often what appears to be a two minute item is quite often laden with traps for rabbit holes and distractions not to mention pitfalls when a critical step goes awry. Even the most efficient machine is not impervious from breaking down and requiring servicing.

If it happens, it happens. I find I get it right often enough that there's a net positive benefit. If you thought it would take 2 minutes and it takes 4, so what, really? And if you really find you've opened pandora's box, just put the whole thing on your project list and move on, as you would have done in the first place.

Possibly. I find that the expectation of most people, in most places, in most workplace cultures, today at least, is that fast response times are the norm. Especially even more so when someone who may or may not usually respond promptly (e.g. if it takes hours to finally get in contact with someone you really don't want to let go until all of your issues related to them are addressed/resolved). Vice-verse if someone won't stop pestering you, usually you will do just about anything to make them quiet/go away. In both cases, the problem is either not responding fast enough or responding too fast. Ironic, but maybe my experiences are not typical? Just my thoughts

Well, that's a different issue. The point I was making is that the two-minute rule doesn't say you have to stop what you're doing and do it, if it takes under 2 minutes. But you can choose to stop and do it, if you wish.

How exactly you go about choosing involves all sorts of factors - what you're currently doing, who's interrupting you and why, your company culture, how much time til your next meeting, your energy levels, etc. There's no one size fits all. We can all agree that excessive interruptions are bad for productivity, but equally, can accept that getting a certain number is just a part of work. A lot of thinking goes into how far and how often you push back on those interruptions. But that's not really a question of the 2-minute rule.

 

[mcogilvie]

The two-minute rule just doesn’t seem that complicated to me: something comes up which is outside the flow of what you were working on. You either collect it or do it. Optimize and customize your decision making however you want. It’s not so different from an interruption by somebody else.

 

[TesTeq]

The two-minute rule just doesn’t seem that complicated to me: something comes up which is outside the flow of what you were working on. You either collect it or do it. Optimize and customize your decision making however you want. It’s not so different from an interruption by somebody else.

@mcogilvie My wife loves the 2-minute rule. When I implemented it my socks magically disappeared from our living room!

 

[Murray]

Here is @DavidAllen talking about the 2-minute-rule:

Some folks having fun in the YouTube comments (see attached images)

 

[KachriT]

For some tasks, I tend to DO the 2-minute task AND write it down.
1 - I like checking things off so I can see where the day has gone, and
2 - I need a reminder of what's been done and when for future reference

Totally agree with the earlier suggestion about good workflow and simplified storage - without that, many 2-minute tasks could be HOURS!

 

[schmeggahead]

For some tasks, I tend to DO the 2-minute task AND write it down.

I use my mind sweep sheet for this - I always have one there to capture what hits me. Checking it off 2 minutes later is a snap.

Clayton

You just had a near life experience. - Tyler Durdan.

 

[ellobogrande]

Are you referring to when you're reflecting on your various items in your GTD system such that you may be scanning a project and notice that "Ah, that next action is a 2 minute action, let me do that real quick". Does this include project planning instances where you may have a project with no next action currently but upon review you realize that the next action for this particular project is X and it will only take 2 minutes so just do it then?

Slightly related but my biggest gripes with the 2 minute rule are:

1. I am terrible at really determining if something will only take 2 minutes.
   
   
   Humans are terrible at estimation and what often appears to be a 2 minute item initially could end up being a 10 minute to 30 minute rabbit hole. For example: "Cancel next week's marketing meeting":​
   
   OK, let me just login to my machine
   ... oh wait, my network password expired, I have to change it
   ... OK, I need to think of a new password that satisfies the cryptography gods
   ... password changed, now I need to write that down/store it in my password manager right now because if I forget that then I am doomed to deal with an angry IT help desk and lecture about how important security is
   ... OK, I logged back in ... oh, I need to resync Outlook with the server
   ... OK, looks like things synced
   ... wait a minute, the UI changed
   ... I need to find my calendar
   ... now that I think of it, we have an important campaign that is due by the end of the next week and Bob is out of the office next week, should I just reschedule the meeting instead? Let me pull up everyone's schedules
   ... oh darn it, Sue's calendar got removed from my list, let me go add that
   ...​
   
   
   I feel like stealing David's old line "In 2.6 minutes you are out of control".​
2. Anything that is actually 2 minutes but involves communication with someone else can very often become much longer because they respond to that quickly completed item with a new item.
   
   
   Continuing the example, "Cancel next week's marketing meeting"​
   
   Sue sends an email back about the cancellation/rescheduling saying that she is traveling the week after next and would like us to meet next week
   ... OK, so now the next action (a 2 minute one) is to email her back saying "Bob is out next week, should we reschedule to this week if possible?"
   ... and what do you know, she replies and so on and so forth​
   
   
   This is even more common in the age of instant message clients like Slack and Microsoft Teams. I sometimes actually purposefully resist doing certain 2 minute items like this because invariably they pull me into doing work and distract me / take me away from processing of the items in my inbox into my system and defining my work.​

Do you find you have these problems or similar ones? Do you find these occur/would occur with how you're interpreting the 2 minute rule now?

All the time. I particularly enjoyed #1. Especially with tech where so many two-minute actions can turn up a yak to shave. When in executive processing mode I set a 2-minute timer that reminds me to put down the razor and defer the next action. I use Timeleft on my Windows desktop for my two-minute timer.