The Two-Minute Rule
If it takes under two minutes, do it now.
Popularized by David Allen in Getting Things Done and reframed by James Clear in Atomic Habits, the two-minute rule has two flavors: do small tasks immediately, and shrink new habits down to a two-minute version you can't say no to.
For tasks
When a task lands in your inbox or to-do list, ask: will this take under two minutes? If yes, do it immediately. The cost of capturing, organizing, and revisiting it later is greater than the cost of just finishing it. This single rule eliminates most of the small-task pile that quietly overwhelms most people.
For habits
Shrink any new habit to a two-minute starter version. "Read every night" becomes "read one page." "Run three miles" becomes "put on running shoes." The point isn't the two minutes — it's making the habit so small that showing up is automatic. Identity follows action.