Worked Examples: The Two-Touch Rule in the Real World
Theory is one thing; practice is another. Let’s see how the Two-Touch Rule and its supporting habits play out for two very different professionals: a busy manager and a solo entrepreneur.
Scenario One: The Manager with a Meeting-Heavy Schedule
Meet Sarah. She’s a department head who spends at least half her day in meetings. Her inbox is a constant flood of team questions, status updates from other departments, and requests from leadership. Her old method was to keep her email open all day, responding to things as they came in, leading to fragmented work and the constant feeling of being behind.
Her New System:
Morning (8:30 AM): Sarah arrives at her clean desk (thanks to last night’s desk reset). She doesn’t open her email. She looks at her calendar, which is packed with meetings. She sees she has three email processing blocks scheduled: 9:00 AM, 12:30 PM (right before lunch), and 4:00 PM.
First Email Block (9:00 AM – 9:30 AM): Sarah opens her email and starts a 30-minute timer.
Email 1: “Can you approve my vacation request?” Sarah clicks the link, approves it in the HR system, and archives the email. (Under 2 minutes – First Touch, Done).
Email 2: A long chain about a project she is only CC’d on. She skims the last message, sees no action is needed from her, and archives it. (Under 2 minutes – First Touch, Done).
Email 3: A request from her boss for a detailed breakdown of her team’s quarterly budget performance, due next week. This will take at least an hour. Sarah opens her calendar, finds a 90-minute open slot on Thursday, and creates an event called “Draft Q3 Budget Report for Boss.” She then archives the email. (Over 2 minutes – First Touch, Scheduled for Second Touch).
The timer goes off. She has processed 25 emails. The inbox is not at zero, but all urgent and easy items are handled, and the important, long-term work is safely in her calendar. She closes her email and focuses on preparing for her 10:00 AM meeting.
Result: Sarah feels in control. She is responsive to her team’s quick needs but protects her focus for deep work. Her stress levels decrease because she trusts that important tasks are scheduled and won’t be forgotten.
Scenario Two: The Solo Maker with a Flexible Schedule
Meet David. He’s a freelance web developer. He has no boss and few meetings, but he struggles with distractions. His inbox is full of client feedback, questions, and a lot of newsletters about new coding frameworks. He often gets sidetracked by a “quick” client email that turns into a two-hour coding detour, derailing his plans for the day.
His New System:
Morning (9:00 AM): David starts his day with his most important task: a 2-hour “deep work” block on his main client project, which he scheduled the day before. He does not check email.
First Email Block (11:00 AM – 11:30 AM): After his deep work session, he opens his email for his first scheduled batch.
Email 1: A client has sent a list of 10 minor text changes for their website. David knows he can knock these out quickly. He opens the website’s backend, makes the changes, replies “All done!”, and archives the email. (This might take 10-15 minutes, but it’s a single, contained task. He decides to handle it now since it’s faster than logging it as a formal task).
Email 2: A newsletter with a link to an interesting article. Instead of reading it now, he uses a “Read Later” browser extension to save the link and archives the email. (Under 2 minutes – First Touch, Done).
Email 3: A potential new client asks for a detailed proposal for a large project. This requires careful thought. David creates a task in his project management tool: “Draft Proposal for New Client XYZ,” and sets a due date for Friday. He then archives the email. (Over 2 minutes – First Touch, Scheduled for Second Touch).
Result: David protects his most productive morning hours for creative work. By batching his email, he handles administrative tasks efficiently without letting them dictate his schedule. He feels more like the CEO of his business and less like a reactive support agent.
