The 2-Minute Rule, Done Properly

What the rule actually says

The 2-minute rule, popularized by David Allen's Getting Things Done, is simple: if a task takes less than two minutes, do it now instead of writing it down. The logic is economic — tracking a tiny task costs more attention than just doing it.

But the version most useful for stuck people is the adapted one: if a task feels too big to start, do just two minutes of it. You're not committing to the task. You're committing to 120 seconds, with full permission to stop after.

Why it works

It works on the start, not the task. Resistance to a task scales with its imagined size — 'write the report' feels enormous, 'type for two minutes' feels trivial. And starting is a state change: once you're in motion, continuing is usually easier than stopping. Most people who try 'just two minutes' keep going. The rule is a trick you play on your own resistance, and it works because the resistance was about beginning, not doing.

Where people go wrong

Three common mistakes:

• Using it as a filter instead of a starter. The original rule is about clearing tiny tasks; the adapted rule is about starting big ones. Both are useful, but don't let 'it's longer than two minutes, so I'll skip it' become a new excuse.
• No timer. 'Two minutes' without a timer becomes twenty minutes of anxious hovering or two seconds of token effort. Set an actual timer — the boundary is what makes it feel safe.
• Beating yourself up when you stop. If the timer rings and you stop, that's a complete success. You did what you committed to. The deal was two minutes, and you kept it. Trust compounds; next time starting is easier.

Where start/ish fits

start/ish automates this loop: it gives you one small step sized for two minutes, runs the timer, then asks what happened — kept going, made a dent, got set up, or need something smaller. Free on the App Store for iPhone, with a 7-day free trial on the yearly plan.