In a previous series for SmartBrief, I laid out my five-step productivity process for leaders, which I then turned into a Productivity Blueprint. This post explores the “2-minute rule” and picked up from my previous post, on alternatives to multitasking. Blocking out time on our calendar is great for diving deep into specific tasks. But you might be thinking, what about the many tasks on our plates each day? You know, the ones that require but a few minutes, that you can knock out in around two minutes? What should we do then? Author and productivity consultant David Allen is famous for his “2-minute rule.” The rule is: “If it takes less than two minutes, then do it now.” The reason for this is simple. For many of these tasks, like replying to an email or calling someone back, the effort needed to keep remembering them, or even to write them down in a way that you’ll actually remember later, exceeds just getting them out of the way. Think about it: How many times have you thought of a quick to-do but, before you got around to doing it, it had disappeared from your mind? Sure, you were only pushing it off so that you could do more important things. However, there were consequences for not following through. READ FULL ARTICLE>>
