If it takes less than 30 seconds, do it now!
How often have you felt that you have too many tasks (large or small) to get anything done and as a result you get NOTHING done!
I feel like this has been an issue I have faced most of my life and it has been compounded being a father. Before fatherhood, things like emptying trash and email inboxes or putting dishes away were minor inconveniences, but got done. Now with the added responsabilites with tasks like emptying the Diaper Genies, meal prep (for parents or children) and on and on.
I first uncovered this rule when I read David Allens Getting Things Done, one of the best productivity books I have read that created a whole sub culture of productivity followers. Of the dozens of productivity tips and tricks Allen brings to the table, one of the most powerful as a father is his 2 Minute Rule. As discussed on LifeHacker, the 2 minute rule has 2 parts:
Part 1 — If it takes less than two minutes, then do it now.
This part originally comes from David Allen’s bestselling book, Getting Things Done.
It’s surprising how many things we put off that we could get done in two minutes or less. For example, washing your dishes immediately after your meal, tossing the laundry in the washing machine, taking out the garbage, cleaning up clutter, sending that email, and so on.
If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, then follow the rule and do it right now.
Part 2 — When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.
Can all of your goals be accomplished in less than two minutes? Obviously not, but every goal can be started in 2 minutes or less, and that’s the purpose behind this little rule.
It might sound like this strategy is too basic for your grand life goals, but I beg to differ. It works for any goal because of one simple reason: the physics of real life.
While part 2 is important especially for busy parents looking to keep up their personal lives and reach goals, part 1 really resonated with me as a parent, I have have even simplified: If it takes less than 30 seconds, then do it now!
By Modifying this rule to 30 seconds, I have been able to accomplish so many little tasks that otherwise would be ignored. These include things like starting laundry, organizing my desk, taking out trash, putting dishes in the wash, putting dishes away.
This has been important because when small tasks are done when you walk by and see them, you have down time later, allowing you to focus on family time, or potential some new habits as called out in part 2 above.
Let me know what you think of the 2 minute rule on twitter @dadhacksblog
