David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, offers a disarmingly simple rule: if a task takes less than two minutes, do it now. Postponing would cost more than doing.
Why two minutes
Under two minutes, the cost of noting, filing and reopening a task outweighs the cost of doing it immediately. You may as well get it out of the way now.
The rule clears dozens of micro-tasks from your list that, added up, clutter your mind far more than the time they take.
In your inbox
When sorting, apply the rule: an email you can answer in two minutes gets answered on the spot. It doesn't go back on the pile.
It's one of the five actions of Inbox Zero — and a core step of GTD for email: no postponing, no rereading, just an immediate decision.
The starting effect
The rule has a hidden bonus: it breaks inertia. Starting for two minutes is often enough to carry on with a longer task. It's an antidote to procrastination.
Starting is almost always harder than continuing. The two-minute rule gets you over that threshold.
Beware of overdoing it
The flip side: chaining two-minute micro-tasks can pull you away from deep work. Keep the rule for your sorting sessions, not your whole day.
Combined with batching, it clears your list without fragmenting your focus.
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