The 2-minute rule to getting things done

By Kavya NSV

Every time my mom asks me to do something, she waits for about 2 minutes. If she does not see me doing the task by then, She will do the most annoying thing ever. SHE WILL DO IT HERSELF. Although it was very infuriating for me back then, I only recently understood that she was teaching me something important.

Recently I picked up the book “Getting Things Done – The Art of Stress-free Productivity” by David Allen. In the book, the author talks about a concept called the 2-minute rule. The rule states that, If a task takes less than 2-minutes to finish, do it immediately.

This rule will do wonders for you once you commit to it mentally. We usually put off from doing small tasks. Be it arranging freshly ironed clothes back in the cupboard, Placing the record book back in the bag for the next day, Putting the mobile phone on charge before going to bed. Well, the list goes on. Though these tasks sound insignificant, not finishing any of them on time turns our day into a hassle and not to mention they occupy plenty of space in our head.

They say the brain is wired to produce ideas and not to store them. That is why it is so important to finish these small tasks on time. Now your head is going to feel much lighter when you sit down to do more important business.

2-MINUTE RULE TO MASTERING HABITS:

In a recent blog post by the author of the book “Atomic habits”, James Clear talks about how the 2-minute rule is helpful in building habits. He talks about the law of inertia and how it applies to not just apples on the tree but also our practices. In his book, he reveals how it is easy to continue doing something once started. The only battle to fight is while taking the first step.

He recommends we make the task so easy that it is almost entirely unavoidable. (because following our rule, if the task takes less than 2-minutes, we do it immediately!) If the habit I am trying to keep up is jogging every morning, My goal would be to tie my shoelace and come out of my door every morning. Now, how much time would that take? Maybe even less than 2-minutes. Now I am outside the house everyday and also have my shoes on. So if not the first day but the at least by 4th day of the week my mind will find no excuse but to go on the jog.

The greater idea behind the 2-minute rule is that, a habit cannot be mastered before being established. So if you are struggling with studying everyday for competitive exams or even going to the gym, then focus on mastering the art of showing up for the habit and not entirely on habit instead.

If you are anything like me, and wants to learn more about productivity and habits, check out the books mentioned in the post-

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity – Amazon.in

Atomic habits- Amazon.in

Read our previous post- THE THIRD DOOR by Alex Banayan: A detailed review