The Two-Minute Rule

We’re all familiar with the Nike slogan, “Just do it.” If we apply this motto/suggestion/saying to anything that can be accomplished in two minutes or less, we will be using the “Two-Minute Rule.”

Here is how it works. If you decide that an action can be accomplished in two minutes or less—do it!––then and there, even if it is a low priority item.

The reason that this approach increases effectiveness is rather simple. If it takes two minutes or less to do something that you intend to do anyway, it will take you longer to stack and track, pull it back, and look at it again—than it would be to finish it the first time you encounter it.

I think of the Two-Minute Rule as Teflon coating. Nothing sticks to it; stuff attaches and quickly slides off. I do not let stuff hang around if I can dispatch it—fast.

Here is the key to using the rule. When something confronts you (or visa versa), ask yourself, “How long will this take?” If your response is two-minutes or less, “Just do it.”


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