Task Chunking with 2-Minute Rule

What is Task Chunking with 2-Minute Rule?

Break overwhelming tasks into microscopic steps until each step takes 2 minutes or less. Then do the first one immediately. The hardest part of any task is starting — once the first 2-minute chunk is done, momentum carries you forward.

Is there evidence for it?

How do you do Task Chunking with 2-Minute Rule?

1. 1.Take any task that feels overwhelming and write it down
2. 2.Break it into steps until each step is doable in 2 minutes or less (e.g., 'write report' → 'open document', 'write one sentence of intro', 'list 3 key points')
3. 3.Do the FIRST micro-step immediately — right now, before thinking about it
4. 4.After each step, ask: 'Can I do one more?' Usually the answer is yes because you're already in motion
5. 5.If any step still feels hard, chunk it smaller. There is no 'too small' — a step can be 'open laptop' or 'type title'

How long does it take?

2 minutes to start, momentum handles the rest.

Is it hard to start?

easy.

> how Shift handles procrastination

This is one entry from the library Shift matches against. It is general information, not advice about you, and nothing on this page came from anyone's conversation.