The best advice in David Allen’s productivity book (or “bible,” to the many who have a cultlike affinity for it) Getting Things Done has nothing to do with his complex organizational framework. It’s a simple heuristic:
If a task will take you less than two minutes, do it now.
It’s what has me emptying the dishwasher when I notice the cycle is complete, picking up my toddler’s scattered puzzle off the floor when I step on a piece, paying utility bills when I open them.
The immediate completion of these little tasks avoids creating what Allen calls “open loops”—incomplete tasks that sit around undone, littering your brain space (and causing anxiety).
The two-minute rule is especially helpful when you’re tired or distracted. There’s no room for self-debate: you just do it, whatever it may be.
Taylor Coe 
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