The time management strategy that has greatly impacted my life lately is the “2 Minute Action” strategy.
I first read about the idea on Zen Habits, a fantastic blog about simplistic living. To put it plainly, as you work through your day, if an action will take you 2 minutes or less, you should do it immediately. The strategy is an integral part of David Allen’s Getting Things Done.
How does this Simple Solution look in real life? Here are several ways I put this strategy into action every day:
- Email. Instead of reading email and letting it sit in my inbox, if I can answer it in this magical time frame, I do. Most emails (especially at work) warrant a very short response, so I just type, send, and delete.
- De-Cluttering. If I can quickly pick up a few things before leaving a room, the house is neat the real cleaning happen faster.
- Phone Calls. This only applies to phone calls to make or confirm an appointment (or checking on something else quickly). I use my short commute to get these done.
- Pay a bill. When I open a bill, I can usually use Online Bill Pay to complete my payment in less than two minutes. No late bills, and it is off my to-do list!
- Packing Lunch. As I clean up from dinner, I put a small portion into a plastic container and voila! Lunch for the next day is made.
As I go through my day, so many unexpected curveballs fly in my direction. They come in the form of papers, emails, children, parents, and…potty-training mishaps! If I can quickly manage a few of them right away, then bigger projects are the focus of longer work periods.
Have you tried this little gem? Does it work for you?
This post is part of a 31 Day Series called Simple Solutions.
Don’t miss a single solution and the chance to share yours. Oh, and there may be a few fun giveaways, too.
Read all of the 31 Solutions here.
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