Never apply the two-minute rule during maker time…

When This Fires

• When a small task pops up during deep work and you're tempted to "just quickly do it"
• When designing time-block structures and deciding where the two-minute rule applies
• When maker-time blocks consistently produce less output than expected (hidden interruptions)
• When calculating maker-time efficiency and finding high interruption counts

Common Failure Mode

The "just one quick thing" cascade: during a coding session, you check email "for one second," see a message requiring a 2-minute reply, reply, see another message, reply to that, notice a Slack notification, respond... 45 minutes later, you're still "quickly" handling small tasks and your coding session is destroyed.

The Protocol

(1) During maker time: when a small task appears (email, message, remembered errand), write it down in a capture tool (notepad, inbox, quick-capture app) and immediately return to deep work. Do not evaluate, do not execute, just capture and return. (2) During processing time (admin blocks, transitions between activities): process the captured items using the two-minute rule. Items under 2 minutes → do now. Items over 2 minutes → schedule or delegate. (3) Treat your maker-time blocks as interruption-free zones: notifications off, email closed, phone in another room. The two-minute rule's temptation requires the small tasks to be visible; removing visibility removes temptation. (4) If your role requires responsiveness, create explicit "available" windows between maker blocks rather than being always-available. (5) Track: count interruptions during maker time. Each one represents 23+ minutes of lost context. Multiply interruption count by 25 minutes to see the true cost.