The Art of the Two-Minute Pickup

Now before you get too excited, when I say two-minute pickup, I don't mean I can help you get a date or a phone number in less than one hundred and twenty seconds. Though I have pulled that mean feat off a few times.

What I am talking about, is a quick two-minute solution, that if used a few times a day, can help you get on top of the madness that is your everyday life.

What do you do on days when you are especially rushed? If you are like me and many others, you double your speed, you skim from one event to the next, and you take shortcuts. But ask yourself... does it really work?

Sometimes yes, but in the long term it actually creates more problems. Why you ask? Because it generally leaves a trail of unfinished tasks lingering behind you, including dozens of 'quick' emails and voice messages to return, half-opened mail and a bunch of to-dos to follow up on, all of which nibble at your peace of mind.

So let me introduce you to the art of the two-minute pickup. Two-minute pickups are tasks that are too short to write on a to-do list but that slow the pace of your life when they are ignored too long.

Here are a few two-minute solutions to help you save time at home:

• Load the dishwasher as soon as the meal is done.
• Water a plant as you come in the door.
• Pay a bill as soon as you read it.
• Renew a prescription as soon as you realise it is coming up.
• RSVP to an event when the invite comes in.
• Program a mobile number into your phone.
• Create an email mailing list for a group you regularly contact.
• Fold the laundry as it comes out of the dryer or off the line.

Do a few of these each day, and you just may save enough time to sit down for a cup of coffee and watch the sun set! A two-minute solution for a recurring task saves ten minutes every time thereafter. You could save five hours a month or sixty hours in one year - all in exchange for a short two-minute investment.

Simple right? Give it a try. What two-minute pick up are you going to master today?