One Positive Action

The Two-Minute Rule:

It’s easy to procrastinate. Specially for little stuff, a dirty dish in the sink? That can wait. Laundry needs to be folded and put away? That can come later. But then later never comes, and suddenly there’s dishes piled up in the sink, and laundry kicked off onto the floor so you could go to bed. Every time a little task like this gets pushed back, it’s still there, in the back of your mind causing a little bit of friction, a little bit of stress. That’s where the “Two Minute Rule” comes in.

As any good rule, the two minute rule is extremely simple - if something takes less than two minutes to do, you do it immediately. Right now. Don't think about it, don't add it to a list, just do it. Reply to that text (I’m so bad for this), wash that dish, file that document, put the clothes away. It’s all of the tiny stuff that doesn't require real mental energy or planning, just action. When you see a piece of trash on the floor, pick it up. When you finish eating, put your plate in the dishwasher/hand wash it. When someone asks you a quick question over email, fire back a response, don’t let it fester in the back of your mind.

What happens is pretty incredible. First, you stop accumulating all these little nagging tasks that make you feel behind before you even start your day. Your space stays cleaner, your inbox stays manageable, and you feel more on top of things. But the real magic is in your mind - you start feeling more capable and in control. Instead of being someone who puts things off, you become someone who gets things done. That confidence spills over into bigger areas of your life. Plus, you'll be amazed at how much mental space opens up when you're not carrying around a mental list of tiny to-dos.

Here's what you're going to do today, have a look around for any of those small two minute tasks that you’ve been avoiding, and just bang a couple out. Start building the habit. Make a pledge to yourself that from this day forward, I’m a do-er! I’m getting things done! It might be an uphill battle at the start if you have MANY two minute tasks, but as you get ahead of them you’ll notice your place is cleaner, your mind a little more free. Once you get in this habit, you’ll wonder how you ever lived any other way.