Last week, you learned that you can overcome that “I’m not in the mood” syndrome that keeps you from getting lots of things done by using the Five Minute Rule (“I only have to work for 5 minutes.”).
This tip is similar but has a very different purpose.
Here’s the 2 Minute Rule: “If I can do it in two minutes or less, I’ll do it now. “
Until Tivo came along to spoil all the fun, my favorite tip was to tell clients to use commercial breaks to do small tasks. If you’ve been envious of your friends who are able to skip all those annoying commercials, you now have reason to congratulate yourself for being clever because you can start making those commercial breaks work for you. Of course, if you already own Tivo, just give it a rest occasionally and get some things done.
Here are a few tasks you can probably get done during the typical commercial break (or in about two minutes):
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load/unload the dishwasher
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tidy the family room
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move a load of clothes from the washer to the dryer
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get a load of clothes from the dryer and start folding them (you can finish folding during the next break and put them up in another)
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address a birthday card
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make a sandwich for tomorrow’s lunch
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lay out tomorrow’s clothes for yourself or a child
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set up the coffee pot
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water a plant
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make an errand or shopping list
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check the battery on your cell phone
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find your cell phone! (by giving yourself a call!)
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make sure you have your car keys
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take out the trash
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read the “Tips in 2 Minutes ” – they are designed to be read in two minutes or less!
Have some fun with this! Before you know it, you’ll start seeing all sorts of candidates for the 2 Minute Rule!
