Sometimes when we need to work on a project, we don’t have the resource we need. If I need to access the internet to do some research, and I’m not at a computer, I don’t worry about it since the next action isn’t currently actionable.
Not usually. But it can still be worthwhile to question that assumption. You can surprise yourself sometimes when you frame alternatives to “What’s the next action?” It’s often the case that “the” next action is really “a” next action, the most obvious one among several options. A different line of questioning can potentially find a new entry point into a project.
One of my favorites is, “What can I do right now?”
Does that @Computer action really need to be done at a computer? Is it possible to get the information by phone? Can the first paragraph or two of your next blog post be drafted on the back of a nearby envelope? If tonight you find out that you need to call someone tomorrow morning, and you don’t have the number, can you at least get the number to have it ready? If there’s something on your mind that’s not getting done, what can you do right now?
If you’re holding back on making a phone call because you don’t know exactly what to say, spend the next few minutes scripting exactly what to say. If you’re not confident that your resume polished enough to email, open it up now and review it to see if there are any edits that need to be made. If you don’t know where to spend the vacation time you’ve accumulated, write a list of potential locations
But what if it takes longer than two minutes?
According to the Two Minute Rule, if an action takes less than two minutes, you should do it right then, even if it’s a low-priority item. Otherwise it would take more time to write it on a list and review it later. The converse of the rule is that if an action takes longer than two minutes, you should write it down to avoid getting lured into an activity whose priority hasn’t been evaluated against other tasks on your list.
That’s good advice if understood in context. When you’re batch processing an in-basket, the best way to avoid getting derailed is by adhering to the guideline that each item should take no longer than two minutes. So if you have 40 items in your intray, it should theoretically take a maximum of 80 minutes to process it to zero. In practice, it should take far less, since many items will be filed or discarded more or less instantly.
But there are times when the two-minute interval should be lenthened, shortened or dispensed with altogether. When I’m doing a weekly review, even doing two-minute actions can pull my attention away from a more appropriate project-level focus. So I write them down with checkmarks denoting them as action items to do immediately after the review.
If the action takes longer than two minutes, and you’re not in processing mode, then it might be more efficient to handle the item in the moment, especially you’re reasonably sure that it will only take a few minutes. If you’re not sure that something else might take precedence, don’t hesitate to review your calendar and action lists.
But the main point is that if there’s something that you need to get done, challenge yourself to see if there’s anything you can do this very moment to carry it forward. What can you do right now?
Technorati Tags: GTD, Productivity
Comments
Rosano
// Jun 18, 2008 at 5:07 pm
It’s important to realize that the two-minute rule is only in relation to how much time you have available. If you have several hours on hand, you can probably afford doing a ten minute task.
Andre
// Jun 18, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Very true. Since I work at home, I often do what I call “two-minute tasks” even when they take two or three times as long. But I keep to a strict two-minute time limit when processing to keep my attention from wandering.
Vered
// Jun 18, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Love this advice HOWEVER it ignores people’s need to procrastinate… I realize that this blog is about NOT procrastinating, but some of my sweetest moments of procrastination take place b/c something needs to be done, and I don’t have the tools to do it right away.
But for those of us who aspire for productivity and do not steal sweet moments of doing nothing (the majority of your readers I suspect), you do make a very good point.
Andre
// Jun 19, 2008 at 12:37 am
One thing I unfortunately always take for granted is that I assume that people want to be productive when they want to be productive, not all the time. Clay Collins’ discussion on Precision Change made to recognize “productivity” has become an amoeba word through overuse and misuse, and I’m inclined to scrap the term in future discourse.
I would distinguish between procrastination, deliberation and relaxation. I think people who are procrastinating are actually deliberating, but have clarified their internal conflict or identified its elements. There may be good reasons for intuitively holding back on something, and in those cases it’s a good idea to sit with your felt sense of the issue and let it clarify itself.
This post was meant to address how to move on a concern that’s on your mind in that very moment. If you’re worried about X, what can you do right now it undo that worry. At the moment of concern, I think telling people to relax is like telling poor people that they would be better off with more money. You don’t necessarily have to do anything about what’s bothering you as long as you know what to do to resolve it. The “What can you do right now?” question is more of a thinking exercise than a dictum for living. As long as idleness isn’t a manifestation of apathy, I’m all in favor of idleness. Experiences matter at least as much as actions.
Dan Gtdagenda
// Jun 19, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Great insights.
The two minute rule is important and useful, but you have to be sure it doesn’t interrupt a current top priority task.
When you work on something important, it’s better to follow through to its entire allocated time, and not stop to do a 2-minute activity that popped up unexpectedly. Because you will lose in fact another 15 minutes, the time it takes your brain to re-adapt to the original activity you were doing.
Just make a note, and do a whole list of 2 minutes as a batch later.
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