There’s a rule from David Allen’s Getting Things Done that changed how I operate:

If a task takes less than 2 minutes, do it immediately.

Don’t add it to a list. Don’t schedule it. Don’t “come back to it later.”

Just do it. Now.

Why It Works

Most of your to-do list isn’t hard tasks. It’s small tasks you keep postponing.

  • Reply to that email
  • Put the dishes away
  • Send that file
  • Make that appointment
  • Water that plant

Each takes 2 minutes or less. But they accumulate into this overwhelming backlog that weighs on you mentally.

The 2-minute rule kills them before they pile up.

The Math

Let’s say you have 10 small tasks throughout the day.

Without the rule:

  • Add each to to-do list: 30 seconds each
  • Remember them later: mental load
  • Do them in a batch: Still 2 minutes each
  • Total: 20 minutes + mental overhead of carrying a list

With the rule:

  • Just do them: 2 minutes each
  • Total: 20 minutes + zero mental overhead

Same time. Less stress. Empty list.

How to Apply It

1. Process inputs in real-time

Email comes in requesting a simple response? Reply now. Don’t flag it.

Notification to update something? Update it. Don’t add it to your task manager.

2. Estimate honestly

The trap: thinking tasks take longer than they do.

That email you’ve been avoiding? Actually takes 90 seconds.

Most things feel bigger in our heads than they are. Do a quick mental estimate. If it’s under 2 minutes, go.

3. Don’t batch small tasks

“I’ll do all my quick tasks at 4pm.”

You won’t. And even if you do, you’ve been carrying mental load all day.

Small tasks done immediately = mental freedom.

4. Make exceptions for focus time

If you’re in the middle of deep work, don’t interrupt yourself.

The 2-minute rule applies to task processing mode, not focus mode. Know the difference.

What Changes

After a week of applying this:

  • My to-do list got shorter (obviously)
  • My email inbox stayed near-zero
  • I felt lighter (fewer open loops)
  • I procrastinated less (nothing to procrastinate on)

The rule doesn’t help with big, hard tasks. But it eliminates the small stuff that makes big tasks feel even more overwhelming.

Start Today

Next time something comes up that takes under 2 minutes:

Don’t write it down. Don’t schedule it. Don’t think about it.

Just do it. Then move on.

For the actual focused work, you still need structure. FocusTimer handles that — proper Pomodoro sessions for the hard stuff.

But the small stuff? 2-minute rule. Always.

— Dolce