Putting the “2-minute” Rule in Context
July 10th 2009 Posted at Productivity
3 Comments 
I received an e-mail a while back from a reader who has some trouble implementing the “2-minute” rule from Getting Things Done: “If a Next Action can be accomplished in 2 minutes or less, do it now.”
TS says:
What I haven’t read about is how to manage a job where most everything can be completed in two-minutes or is a fire that needs to be addressed right away (and where you still have big projects to tackle).
It seems to me that I can not sit down and work on certain projects except after a full day of work and being tired, because I do not have chunks of time to just sit and concentrate on the project until it becomes a fire which needs to be done tomorrow.
Set an appointment with yourself
In order to get your big projects done you need to do two things:
- Break up the big project into smaller, actionable tasks
- Set appointments in your Calendar to work on these Next Actions
I would recommend that you set these appointments for the beginning of your work period, after you have had time to assess the current status of your day. This way, if there are any fires that need to get put out you can do so, then start on your project’s Next Action while you are still fresh and ready to concentrate.
After your have finished that portion of the project, you can then address the multitude of 2-minute Next Actions that you have in front of you.
Please share your thoughts in the Comments.
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Hi Ken, thanks for elaborating on this. Without having a full knowledge of TS’ situation, I was looking to be able to help her set up a framework for establishing those priorities.
Your “Where does this fit?” question is a brilliant suggestion.
What you say is good as far as it goes, but fails to include some important details. A critical part of getting things done is setting priorities. This is best done by placing each task on the Urgent v. Important grid. The next necessary step, once the list is prioritized, is to establish a realistic schedule for completing each task. Once you have accomplished both of these, you possess a powerful tool for dealing with the next “fire” that comes your way. If it comes by way of your boss, you have only to present this prioritized and scheduled list and ask, “Where does this emergency fit into the bigger picture and how okay is it for the tasks placed after this crisis to fall behind schedule?” Odds are, s/he will probably tell you to forget about it and go find someone else who isn’t as organized. If the task still falls to you, then squeeze where you can and and prepare to work extra hours (all while keeping a smile on your face – nobody likes being begrudged). This is pretty much stolen from Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits.”
Bite size chunks make larger jobs easier to do, I do this myself otherwise many jobs seem too daunting and you feel more productive.