Just two minutes in Cyprus…

On this island, waiting is a condition of life. It’s an island shaped by languid heat, relaxed conversation, and a slower way of life. And you learn to accept it: ‘This is Cyprus, siga siga,’ you shrug.
That doesn’t mean, of course, that nothing ever happens. It does – just at a different pace…

Cyprus isn’t a place where things happen quickly, is it?

There’s your online order permanently delayed by customs. The 3pm doctor’s appointment that starts at five. The title deeds that have, somehow, never manifested.

Here, waiting isn’t an exception – it’s a condition of life. And you learn to accept it: siga siga, you say with a shrug – this is Cyprus. An island shaped by languid heat, relaxed conversation, and a slower way of life.

That doesn’t mean, of course, that nothing ever happens. It does – just at a different pace.

For those raised beyond the island, that pace can be deeply frustrating. Surely one stamp, one signature, one email doesn’t take that long? Couldn’t the post office simply call? Perhaps the receptionist should let you know things are running late? Maybe the lawyer can keep you informed. It would take mere seconds…

In fact, couldn’t Cyprus try the two-minute rule?

Well yes; it might help. But it’s unlikely to happen wholesale.

Developed by American management consultant David Allen, the rule suggests that if something takes two minutes or less, you do it straight away. Not tomorrow. Not later. Not when you have ‘time’. Now – in the next two minutes.

It sounds almost too small to matter. But it works. Because, despite what you might think, the reason we procrastinate is not laziness, but emotional avoidance…

Stalling on tasks is, psychologists say, the brain’s way of sidestepping discomfort, uncertainty, or the sense that a task might spiral into something bigger.

So every receptionist who’s putting off calling you about the delay, every paralegal who doesn’t want to let you know the deeds aren’t ready is acting not out of disregard (probably!). They’re acting out of discomfort: simply trying to avoid completing a task they know won’t feel good.

The two-minute rule quietly interrupts this pattern. By keeping actions deliberately small, it lowers the emotional cost of starting. There’s no commitment, no escalation, no promise of resolution beyond the next couple of minutes.

Research shows this can actually reduce stress and cognitive load, restoring a sense of emotional control: the simple act of making progress, however modest, has a disproportionate positive effect on motivation and wellbeing:

Delays are, of course, unavoidable. But keeping people informed is not.

And in a place where avrio, meta is a constant refrain, this rule might offer a brief but real sense that something has moved.

In Cyprus, where waiting is part of the national landscape, taking two minutes to let someone know where things stand can make all the difference.