In today’s post, I have another productivity tool to share with you. It is a little like the one I spoke about in my last post, but whilst that one deals with the most important task, this one deals with tasks that are smaller, simpler, easier or quicker and are of some importance to prevent them from accumulating and building up to long lists of ‘To Dos’. There are two tools you can use: DIRN and the 2 Minute Rule.
DIRN
DIRN stands for ‘Do It Right Now’. It is a tool that instructs us to do things ASAP. If the task is quick, DIRN it. If it is easy, DIRN it. If it is urgent, DIRN it. When you do things right there and then you will get on with the task faster and not waste time because you have to get on with it immediately, without any delay or having to schedule it for later.
Let’s take a look at an example: a fellow student needs help with their homework and asked you to send a picture of the sheet. You could do it right there and then to help them out and get the task over and done with… or you could wait to do it later, after you’ve probably forgotten, and left your friend to stress out.
2 Minute Rule
Another tool that will pair nicely with the ‘DIRN’ tool is the 2 Minute Rule. There are many ‘2 minute rules’, but the one I’m talking about is coined by David Allen in his book ‘Getting Things Done’. Allen says that if a task takes 2 minutes (or less) get it done right away. This works just like DIRN, only this is shorter and specifically for quick tasks, whilst DIRN may take a little longer.
Using the 2 Minute Rule means that you can save time by not having to save it for later as you can do it sooner and quicker. If you’re wondering how this tool saves time, it’s because you’ll spend less time thinking about the task and will get it done sooner. In a way, it is a form of ‘DIRN’.
The use of the 2 Minute Rule and DIRN are very efficient and can be paired with the tool I spoke about in my last post ‘Eat the Frog’ ( linked with some other helpful posts below). All these tools facilitate getting the important tasks done first, clarifying and making it easier to identify the priority of the moment, allowing us to move on quickly onto whatever’s next.
That’s all from me today. I’ll see you in my next post! Now, for the tasks to DIRN.
Comments