3 Reasons the “2-Minute Task” is a Myth

You’ve probably heard this common productivity advice before:

If you can do a task in 2 minutes, do it now.

This advice rests on the myth of the 2-minute task, the idea that any task takes only 2 minutes.

For most people with ADHD, and in fact even for many people without ADHD, there’s no such thing as a 2-minute task.

3 reasons why the 2-minute task is a myth

(1) 2 Minutes is Not Just 2 Minutes

The first problem with the “2-minute task” is that it relies on the ability to accurately predict how long something will take you. People with ADHD often have “time-blindness.” We may think of something as a “2-minute task” when in reality it takes 5 or 10 minutes.

Unless you know for certain that a task is really a 2-minute task, you’re walking into a trap.

Even tasks that really are only 2-minute tasks are not actually 2 minutes when you factor in the total time of the interruption.

Studies show that it can take over 23 minutes to get back to what you were doing before an interruption, even if that interruption was only a minute long. That means that your 2-minute task is a 25-minute interruption in the flow of your routine.

Have you ever heard anyone advise that “if a task only takes 25 minutes, do it now”?

Of course not. Because most people would acknowledge that a 25 minute task should be properly planned into your schedule.

Think of your 2-minute tasks as 25-minute tasks and create proper space in your schedule for them.

(2) Completion Bias

It may take only 2 minutes to start a task, but most people aren’t content with just starting. We have a bias toward task completion once we start.

Completing a task triggers the release of dopamine, which is a reward signal in the brain and aids in motivation. Task completion gives us a sense of achievement and fuels our desire to take on new challenges. It’s the gas in the tank and the key to keep the engine running.

This is especially important for people with ADHD, who have lower levels of dopamine, leading to lower levels of motivation and low mood. Completing a task gives us a boost of dopamine and confidence that we can ride into the next thing.

Doing something for just 2 minutes and then leaving it unfinished actually can deplete motivation, reinforcing thoughts and stories that we “don’t follow through” and “can’t get things done.” Also, it can be come harder to get back into it when we leave off.

If you can’t finish something in 2 minutes, it’s better to schedule it for a time when you can sink into the project and complete it. For bigger projects, try to break them into chunks so that you can at least complete a particular chunk in one sitting.

(3) Snowball Effect

Sometimes you can technically complete something in 2 minutes. For example, checking email or social media, or clearing a small pile of clutter.

Rarely is this a 2-minute endeavor, because of the snowball effect.

You’ve been here before: you go into your inbox to check for an email that will only take “2 minutes.” But before you see that email, you see several others that require your response. Suddenly, you’re down the rabbit hole of responding to those emails and you forgot why you opened your inbox in the first place.

Or you start to clear a small pile of clutter and suddenly you’re knee-deep in reorganizing the entire room.

The quick 2-minute phone call leads to a new list of tasks to do, and suddenly you’ve lost track of your day.

Tip: Schedule Your 2-Minute Tasks

Rather than dropping everything for a 2-minute task that isn’t really 2-minutes, schedule a block of time to handle several “2-minute tasks.”

If the tasks really are 2 minutes, then you’ll be able to knock out several at a time, which will help you feel like you accomplished something significant, leading to the dopamine boost.

If they require more time, then you’ll have the time available to you in the block to tackle them more completely.