I am sure we will not be doing

However you manage your schedule, it’s easy to get caught in the trap of adding absolutely everything to it because, man, that feeling of crossing something off of it just feels so good

If you look at the items you actually need to do, chances are you’ll soon realize they’re not difficult, taxing or particularly challenging in any way…. yet we procrastinate and let them accumulate.

Most of the tasks that you procrastinate on aren’t actually difficult to do; you have the talent and skills to accomplish them, but you just avoid starting them for one reason or another. The 2–Minute Rule overcomes procrastination and laziness by making it so easy to start taking action that you can’t say no.

There are two parts to the 2–Minute Rule:

Part 1 — If it takes less than two minutes, then do it now.

It’s surprising how many things we put off that we could get done in two minutes or less. Example: washing your dishes immediately after your meal, tossing the laundry in the washing machine, taking out the garbage, cleaning up clutter, sending that email, and so on.

If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, then follow the rule and do it right now.

Part 2 — When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.

Clear draws on Isaac Newton's principle of physics that objects at rest stay at rest and objects in motion stay in motion. "The most important part of any new habit is getting started - not just the first time, but each time," says Clear. And with that in mind, when you want to create any new habit, make sure you can start it each time with a task that takes 2 minutes to accomplish. Want to eat healthier? Just eat one piece of fruit to get started. Want to make reading a habit? Just read the first page of a new book every time. Soon, you'll find yourself eating a salad or reading chapters at a stretch.

Here are a few examples of the two-minute rule in action:

You receive an email from a colleague, asking your opinion on a new project idea. Rather than mark the email as “unread” and come back to it later, you take a moment to send them feedback right away.

You sit down(or stand) at your desk and notice a growing pile of letters and notes. Rather than ignore the mess and get straight to work, you spend the first minutes of your day decluttering the space around you.

Your spouse asks you to take out the trash or put your laundry away. Rather than put it off until you “feel like it,” you stop what you’re doing and take care of the task right away.

In each of these examples, following the two-minute rule leaves you better off and further ahead. It may mean a small inconvenience, but it’s totally worth it in the end.

In addition to having the task completed and moving on to the next, you’ve saved yourself time that is typically wasted browsing to-do lists, looking over the same tasks you’ve had on there for weeks.

The 2 minute rule also ties in with larger tasks which you may not want to do… for example:

Going to the gym:

There’s no workout that can produce results in 2 minutes, however the majority of the procrastination when it comes to going to the gym is the actual act of getting ready and putting yourself into the environment.

It takes less than 2 minutes to put on your gym shoes and training gear, once you’re dressed for the gym you’re already on your way – without a doubt getting ready and getting to the car is the part we most often delay… get this done and the rest will take care of itself

The 2 minute rule was designed to stop your procrastination and stop these never-ending lists of tasks from accumulating.

It’s safe to say most of these tasks, from sending an email, taking out the trash, ordering more protein or calling a family member could be done and dusted within 2 minutes.