The two-minute rule is simple: if a task takes less than two minutes, do it immediately.
Used correctly, it reduces clutter and mental friction. Used incorrectly, it becomes productive procrastination.
The mistake is timing.
Applying the rule during prime focus hours allows trivial tasks to displace important work. Email replies, quick fixes, and small requests multiply until deep work never happens.
The two-minute rule must come after your most important work, not before it.
Start the day with deep, demanding tasks. Protect that time aggressively. Only after meaningful progress is made do you apply the two-minute rule.
At that point, small tasks become cleanup rather than avoidance.
Batching helps. Accumulate minor tasks and process them in a defined window. Momentum builds as clutter disappears.
The rule is a tool, not a philosophy. It serves execution, not avoidance.
Order matters.
Do your real work first. Then clear the small things quickly and intentionally.
Small tasks deserve a strategy too.