What is GTD and the two-minute rule?

Getting Things Done (GTD) is a personal productivity system developed by David Allen, an American author and time management consultant, and published in a book of the same name. He described a few simple but effective ways to reduce procrastination, do more tasks in less time, and work more efficiently.

What is the two-minute rule? Coined by David Allen in Getting Things Done, the two-minute rule states that “If an action will take less than two minutes, it should be done at the moment it's defined.” You’ll find that nearly any habit can be scaled down into a two-minute version: “Do 30 minutes of yoga” becomes “Take out my yoga mat,” “Run three miles” becomes “Tie my running shoes.”

It’s simple math: you need a lot more time, energy and other resources to make a reminder, recall a task or just to keep it in your mind, than to do it here and now.

Reasons why you should follow this rule in your daily life:

- Delayed tasks cause stress and strain;

- Stress increases cortisol, which affects our mind;

- A lot of things we keep in mind cause procrastination;

- Delay of tasks cause guilt and discontent;

- All these things reduce concentration and efficiency.

Examples of using the two-minute rule:

- Answer an email or a chat message;

- Send your project for evaluation or evaluate someone else’s project;

- Ask to review your performance;

- Clarify the details of your task right after receipt;

- Note a report instead of viewing the record later.

Source: genius.space