Mel Robbins → The 5 Second Rule (2024)

FAQs

Mel Robbins → The 5 Second Rule? ›

Mental health struggles and lack of motivation often result in us overthinking our actions. According to Robbins, it takes just five seconds for the brain to convince us not to do something if it isn't already part of our routine.

You're never going to crack the whip on yourself when you have a million other things that you need to do and you've got people that are making demands on you.” “The 5 Second Rule is simple. If you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within five seconds or your brain will kill it.

The 5 Second Rule The moment you have an instinct to act on a goal you must 5-4-3-2-1 and physically move or your brain will stop you. There's one thing that is guaranteed to increase your feelings of control over your life: a bias toward action.

At its core, the five-second rule is a concept aimed at reducing hesitation and indecision. It encourages individuals to take action within five seconds of having an instinct to act on a goal or task.

1. "Start before you're ready. Don't prepare, begin."

The Five-Second Rule tells you to start right away. The simple science behind this is that the less time you give your brain to overthink the action you're going to do, the more likely you're going to do it.

She recommends giving yourself five seconds to calm down before you act. Spending a few seconds focusing only on counting backward—and not on your impulse to act harmfully—gives your brain time to dismiss the impulse, thus preventing you from enacting it.

It's just long enough for people to realize that you actually expect a response, and then think it through in their heads. At 5 seconds, people will start to speak up. For example, when you ask "Are there any more questions?", wait silently for at least 5 seconds before speaking again.

Whenever you face hesitation, fear, stress or procrastination to do anything, just count down 5 -4 -3 -2 -1 and then MOVE. The counting helps focus on your goal or commitment and distract you from your worries. When you hit “1” then MOVE. Counting and moving are actions.

The rule that is explained in her book [available here on Amazon] is the idea that you have the instinct to act on a goal (or an unpleasant task) if you physically move within 5 seconds. If 5 seconds pass, your brain will remove the need, and you are less likely to act as time goes on.

What is Robbins motto? ›

“If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.” – Tony Robbins.

The moment you accept that motivation is garbage, everything changes. You don't have to wait until you're ready. You don't have to wait until you “feel like it.”

A jury consisting of 1,500 film artists, critics, and historians selected "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn", spoken by Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in the 1939 American Civil War epic Gone with the Wind, as the most memorable American movie quotation of all time.