5-second rule against procrastination: How to trick your brain

The 5-second rule should enable us to tackle a task or make a decision in the shortest possible time. We’ll tell you how it works and what else you need to consider.

When things that should have been done long ago pile up and our to-do list gets longer by the day, this can weigh heavily on us and lead to frustration, demotivation and stress. It can be hard to push yourself to do things you don’t feel like doing right now.

Fortunately, there is the so-called 5-second rule – a self-management technique. With the 5-second rule, you can finally start tackling something that has been put off in just a few seconds.

By the way: The 5-second rule has nothing to do with the 3-second rule. The latter concerns whether food that has already been on the floor is still edible.

5 Second Rule: How it works

The idea behind the 5-second rule came from the American Mel Robbins, who works as a motivational coach. According to Robbins, procrastination has nothing to do with incompetence, but rather with a bad habit. The 5-second rule is intended to overcome this inner weaker self – no matter how little you feel like doing a task at the moment.

• In order for this to work, you count down from 5 to 1 in the 5-second rule. And that’s when you remember that you still have something to do or that you still have a task ahead of you that you’ve always put off before you.
• If you have reached 1, you start the work immediately or prepare for it.
• Repeat the 5 second rule whenever you feel like procrastinating. You can change your habits in the long run.

According to Robbins, the countdown is intended to activate the region in the brain responsible for conscious decisions – the prefrontal cortex. On the other hand, if we don’t physically follow an impulse within five seconds, our brain will reject it again, according to Robbins in a TedxTalk. We then begin to ponder and lose ourselves in mind games instead of actually acting. The task is left undone and ends up on our to-do list again the next day.

When making a quick decision using the 5-second rule, on the other hand, it should be avoided that your brain has time to weigh up or prevents us from leaving our comfort zone.

5 Second Rule: Does it Really Work?

There is no scientific evidence or study to show that Mel Robbins’ 5 Second Rule actually works. You can only find out if it helps you by trying it yourself. However, the rule does not work in all cases:

• Some deferred tasks are larger or more complex than others and therefore cannot be tackled as easily. The 5-second rule does not always help in such a case.

• Experience shapes our decisions. So there can be good reasons why you hesitate to commit yourself to a task or decision. According to the Spiegel, a pronounced perfectionism, fear of exams or failure or family conflicts can also be the causes of procrastination. In such cases, more profound measures are necessary.

• Every person is different. We all have different characters and different experiences. As a result, some people are better at using the 5-second rule than others.

In conclusion, it can be said that the 5-second rule can be a good way to fight the weaker self. They can be particularly useful in everyday situations, for example when you want to get up to cleaning, tidying up or doing sports. However, this motivational trick is not a panacea because it cannot be applied to every problem.

5 second rule against unsolicited comments

In addition to Mel Robbins’ methodology, there is another 5-second rule. This deals with the question of which unsolicited comments or advice are appropriate and which you should avoid.

Here’s how this kind of 5-second rule works:

1. You feel the impulse to point something out to your counterpart. For example, this could be an item of clothing or their hair style, an aspect of the other person’s lifestyle, or something the other person just said.
2. Now you should briefly consider whether your advice or comment can be implemented by your conversation partner within five seconds.
3. If not, you’d better keep this one to yourself.

For example, if the other person has a few leftovers between their teeth or an open trouser fly, the person can quickly fix this. In that case, your comment is probably appropriate and useful.

If you have any complaints about the outfit, the figure or the haircut of the other person, it is better to keep it to yourself. Such comments cannot be implemented by another person within five seconds. In addition, this type of unsolicited advice is often intrusive and can severely hurt and unsettle your counterpart.

Read more on Techzle.com:

• Positive Affirmations: This is how you help yourself to motivation and self-confidence
• Motivation for learning: With these tricks you will find them
• Intrinsic motivation: Characteristics and importance for your everyday life