Friday, March 8, 2013

Study Habits - How To Be More Productive And Less Distracted In Two Minutes Or Less

By Lachlan Haynes


For those who are engaged in studying, the value of using your study time shrewdly by being super-organized and super-productive is an absolute must.

So how many techniques do you use that assist you in being more productive and less distracted? Lots? Some? None? What if I told you that there was an easy way to help you become far less distracted and far more productive? Would that make a difference to you and your studies?

The good news is that even though the technique I am about to share with you will have a major impact on how productive you are it is still very easy to use and very easy to understand. Now how often can you say that?

The technique is called the "Two Minute Rule" and it was created by a productivity expert named David Allen (we just thought we should add that in case you thought we created it!) Let's look at how this works.

When a distraction arises and threatens to soak up your precious time (and distractions are everywhere) you simply ask yourself: "Can I handle this in two minutes or less?"

If you answer "yes, I sure can" then you take the action to handle the distraction straight away. You move quickly and efficiently to resolve what needs to be resolved. This could be anything at all - such as sending a text message, replying to an email, taking the garbage out - but you should only take action straight away if you can address it in two minutes or less. If you think "no, I can't take care of this that quickly" then you don't take action on it. Instead, you add it to a to-do list and make a note to take care of it at a later time.

That's the long and the short of the two minute rule. Pretty easy really! No complications and no confusion.

Now, this may seem like a very simple solution but don't dismiss the power of using this technique. Often the times when we are trying to get things done can also be the times when we are exposed to many distractions and disruptions. When those distractions (think friends, siblings, after school activities, parents) take us away from our primary focus (like getting a draft of an essay done for example) for longer than a few minutes we can totally lose sight of what we were doing and as a result become far less productive because we constantly have to keep re-focusing.

A great benefit of the two minute rule is that you are quickly and effectively taking care of any distractions as they occur, and you are also creating a new rule that you can live your life by - "If I can't resolve it in two minutes or less I'm not addressing it until the important stuff is done!" By doing this, you have created a brilliant new habit.

A further benefit of this approach is that you won't forget tasks you need to complete and they will either be completed straight away (in two minutes or less of course) or you will have added them to your to-do list.

Simple idea? You bet. Will it increase your productivity and help eliminate distractions? It sure will. Will you become an organizational guru if you use this technique? You just might! When you handle distractions as soon as they arise (either by adding them to a list or taking care of them in two minutes or less) you will find that you start achieving far more in far less time - the essence of productivity. Give it a go for a week, a month and then a year. You will be very surprised by what you can achieve in just two minutes or less!




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