Have You Heard of the 5-Second Rule?

If You Are (Still) Procrastinating, this Magic Countdown Might Help

“Learning how to push yourself to take action when you are afraid or full of self-doubt or overwhelmed with excuses is a life skill you can learn.”

– Mel Robbins, The Let Them Theory

In last week’s blog, Prioritizing Action Over Perfection, I shared this simple but potent tip (from author Jessie DaSilva) for tackling procrastination:

Put your phone on airplane mode, grab a timer, set it for 25 minutes…and get ’er done.

But what about finding the motivation to take those first few steps? Or put another way:

How does one get thy butt OFF the couch in the first place to grab that timer? 

If you are not yet familiar with it, allow me to introduce you to Mel Robbins’ 5 Second Rule.

I am in the midst of reading The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. It is excellent!

At the very beginning of the book, Robbins shares briefly about her personal experience of coming up with “The 5 Second Rule” (which worked so well, it later became a book of the same title).

“I’ll never forget the morning everything changed for me,” said Robbins. “The alarm went off, and there I was lying in bed, completely overwhelmed by our problems. Like so many of us, I was paralyzed by my own thoughts, and the last thing I wanted to do was get up and face another day.”

“But then,” she continues, “something strange happened. A thought popped into my head that would ultimately change my life. It was so simple, almost silly. I remembered watching a rocket launch and the way NASA counted down to blast off: 5-4-3-2-1. I thought, What if I just counted backward like that and launched myself out of bed?”

“It seemed ridiculous, but I was desperate, so I gave it a shot,” she writes. “I counted backward: 5-4-3-2-1 – and I got out of bed. Just like that. I didn’t think about how tired I was or how much I didn’t want to face my problems. I simply moved before my brain had the chance to talk me out of it. It’s like launching a rocket: Once you start the countdown, 5-4-3-2-1, there’s no turning back.”

“In those five seconds, I had interrupted the cycle of overthinking,” explains Robbins. “If I could push through those five seconds of fear, maybe I could push through anything.”

And then she began counting backward, 5-4-3-2-1, anytime there was something she needed to do – but did NOT feel motivated to do it.

It worked.

“I started calling this technique the “5 Second Rule.” It’s so simple: The moment you have the instinct to act, you have to physically move within five seconds, or your brain will talk you out of it. Just start counting backward: 5-4-3-2-1 and move. Take action before hesitation kicks in.”

I love it!

Here’s why the 5 Second Rule works:

“Counting backward requires focus and snaps you out of autopilot, giving you just enough of a push to get going,” says Robbins. “It helps you power through fear, doubt, or procrastination. Every time you count 5-4-3-2-1 it is like tipping the first domino, momentum kicks in, and BOOM, you are no longer thinking about what you need to do, you are already doing it.”

And the best part?

Momentum takes over. “Once you start moving,” she says, “it’s way easier to keep going.”

Personally, I have found this to be true…over and over again. From tackling a mammoth pile of filing to writing a blog to answering a challenging e-mail, if I can just start the task and stick with it for the short amount of time I have set on my timer (even just 25 minutes), then  momentum usually kicks in…and I need the timer to remind me to STOP doing the task!

“The 5 Second Rule taught me that action is the answer,” says Robbins. “Thinking about your problems will never solve them. Waiting around to feel like doing something means you’ll never do it.”

True ’dat. And this goes for tackling small administrative tasks to The Big Stuff in life.

“It’s not easy to claw yourself out of debt or face the painful issues in your marriage. It’s not easy to quiet the anxiety of push through the self-doubt,” says Robbins. “Using 5-4-3-2-1, I pushed through the excuses, the anxiety, the overwhelm, and the fear. And step by step, day by day, week by week, I slowly took the actions that put my life and career back on track.”

Small, consistent action changes everything.

“Learning how to push yourself to take action when you are afraid or full of self-doubt or overwhelmed with excuses is a life skill you can learn,” says Robbins. “Once you master it, you’ll understand that you can achieve anything through small, consistent moves forward.”

Does 5-4-3-2-1 really work?

Well…The 5 Second Rule book went on to become the most successful self-published audiobook in history. So, yeah…I dare says it does work. But don’t take my word for it…give it a try yourself and find out.

What task do you know you need to do, but have been putting off?

5-4-3-2-1…GO!

It’s a new year…make it matter. One small step at a time 🙂

“The 5 Second Rule will help you push through your own internal obstacles and take action when you don’t feel motivated to do so. And if you can use it long enough, you’ll be shocked by what you can achieve.”

– Mel Robbins

Related blogs by Maryanne

Prioritizing Action Over Perfection

Maryanne Pope is the author of “A Widow’s Awakening.” She also writes screenplays, playscripts & blogs. Maryanne is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and Co-Founder of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. To receive her blog, “Weekly Words of Wisdom,” please subscribe here. And be sure to visit our PinkGazelleCards Etsy shop.