How to Use the 2-Minute Rule to Beat Procrastination

Two minutes doesn’t seem very long, does it? Well, it depends on the situation. Two minutes can seem like an hour in both good and bad scenarios. When you’re in the so-called flow state working away on a task at hand, time melts away almost imperceptibly. On the other hand—if you’re prone to anxiety—lasting mere moments on a task can feel like an eternity.

What if we told you those two minutes could be a major tool for becoming more productive? Enter, the two-minute rule. In this article we’ll dig into what is and how you can implement it.

What Is the Two-Minute Rule?

While multiple versions of the two-minute rule exist, they all stem from the same philosophy: using strategies to make yourself more productive. Here are a few of the most popular ways to do it.

David Allen’s Version

Perhaps the most famous practitioner of the two-minute rule, and the person most people reference when the term is used, is productivity researcher David Allen and his getting things done (GTD) framework.

Allen’s system is fairly complicated but, lucky for us, the two-minute rule is less so. In his words, “If you decide a next action, and you actually have the capability of taking that action and you can finish that in two minutes or less, you should do it right then if you’re ever going to do it at all.”

Debbie Rosemont is a productivity consultant, coach, and trainer. She says the two-minute rule can help you get out of your own way.

“David Allen’s method is great, because why would we spend time organizing and planning for something that’ll only take two minutes or less, just do it…There’s a lot to be said for just getting those little things off the to-do list and reducing the mental clutter.”

James Clear’s Version

Another version was developed by productivity expert, and best-selling author, James Clear. In his book, Atomic Habits, he argues that the best way to form a habit is to start with a two-minute version of that habit. Some examples could be a two-minute walk or a two-minute journaling session. 

The Version Where You Commit to a Task

And yes, there’s more. A third version of the two-minute rule tells you to reduce procrastination by committing to work on a task for two minutes. Similar to other productivity techniques, like the pomodoro method, all three versions of the two-minute rule are trying to get you to build and sustain momentum.

Using the journaling prompt from earlier, perhaps you start journaling and you blow past two minutes, writing for four, or six, or eight minutes. Incrementally, you’re building your capacity to complete these tasks and—in some cases—reducing your anxiety. 

According to research, procrastination is a key driver of poor health outcomes. A 2023 study published by JAMA, found that university students who procrastinated were more likely to develop poor lifestyle habits, loneliness, pain, anxiety, and depression, among other mental and physical health symptoms.

Rashelle Isip, a productivity consultant says that another benefit of the two-minute rule is that it allows tasks to be simplified. 

“Momentum plays a big role in productivity, because most of the tasks, or projects, or assignments that we work on are not one-time items that can be completed in a single setting. Sometimes they can take days, weeks, months or even years. So the two-minute rule can be helpful, because it can break down those larger pieces of work into finite segments of time.”

Using the Two-Minute Rule to Boost Mental Health

Isip said she uses the two-minute rule in her personal life when she’s looking at her task list on any given day and trying to decide what can be done quickly.

“When it comes to personal tasks, it might be things like paying a bill. It might be checking on the status of a delivery that’s coming. It might be making a list for shopping.”

In her work life, the two-minute rule is equally as useful. 

“It could be responding to a vendor request. It could be quickly responding to the client or customer issue paying. It could be signing up for some meeting by some organization, group or company, reviewing some information that is already in process.”

Isip said she sees mental health benefits from the two-minute rule because it gives you a structure to follow as you meet your goals and needs, similar to a meeting

“We schedule a meeting for a certain date and a certain time, and we understand that we’re going to talk about certain things with certain people during that meeting. The two-minute rule can serve as a type of mini meeting with yourself. Just to try and have the confidence that, yes, a task can be accomplished in a short time, and it doesn’t have to take up as much energy or effort as you might think.”

Overcoming Potential Challenges

The two minute rule doesn’t come without its challenges. Rosemont said that one barrier that can arise is when the rule is in conflict with our own understandings of how long a task will or should take. 

“Many of us tend to underestimate how long something’s going to take. So we might think it’s going to only take two minutes, but it takes 10 or 15. In doing this for only two minutes,  [we may] then end up down a rabbit hole,in some place where we didn’t intend to be. So. I think that’s something that, for anyone who’s going to practice this technique, we need to be careful of.”

Estimating how long a task will take can be difficult at the best of times, especially if it’s task that’s new to you. That barrier can be extended even further if you have a disability, like ADHD, that brings along with it time blindness, where your neurodivergent brain struggles to perceive time in the typical way. 

Isip’s advice is to focus on “experimenting” with the two-minute rule as you bump into tasks. She also said that acknowledging that these tasks will just keep coming is a necessary part of using the two minute rule for productivity and keeping yourself, at the same time, mentally healthy.

“These types of tasks always enter our lives. There’s no end to them, so the quicker you can realize that these tasks exist, they’re just part of normal daily [lives], and the sooner that you can recognize them and act on them, the more space you’ll free up  yourself for other things that you have to do in your life.”

Keep in Mind

The two minute rule is a productivity methodology that can be applied to your mental health. The main thing the two minute rule is trying to eradicate, your own procrastination, has been found to be linked to poorer mental health outcomes. While the two minute rule may need to be adapted—and isn’t perfect for all situations—it can be a valuable item in your productivity toolbox to help you manage both your workload and your mental health.