I was working with a client who was struggling with severe procrastination. A colleague suggested using the 5 second rule, which I had never heard of before. It sounded so simple and I was thinking: “Does it really work? How does it work?” So I checked out the book “The 5 Second Rule” by Mel Robbins to see what it is about.

Mel Robbins discovered the rule when she was going through personal struggles. One of the struggles she had was getting out of bed in the morning. One day she saw a rocket launch on TV where they counted “5-4-3-2-1” till blast off. So she decided to try that when her alarm goes off in the morning. Miraculously, it worked. Not just for that morning, not just for getting out of bed, it also created a momentum of a lot of other changes in herself and in her life. It led to her success. Since then, she has been teaching that rule to other people. It has led to many other success stories too. So Mel Robbins looked into scientific research to find out why the rule works. 

In the book, she explains: once we set a goal, our brain will tell us to act which will push us towards the goal; however,

“there is a five-second window between our initial instinct to act and your brain stopping you.”

“Right before we’re about to do something that feels difficult, scary or uncertain, we hesitate.”

“That one small hesitation triggers a mental system that’s designed to stop you.”

Because we do not like change or things out of the ordinary/routine which can be experienced as a threat, and in that moment of hesitation, our brain can come up with numerous reasons why we can’t/don’t need to/shouldn’t do it. We hold ourselves back because of our feelings.

According to Mel Robbins, when your wise mind tells you to do something and you hesitate but you know you should do, start counting backwards “5-4-3-2-1.” It helps you focus on the here and now, prepare your mind and body for action, while at the same time distracts you from the excuses you can come up with. Then when you get to “1”, start your action.

She talked about how to use the rule in different situations such as dealing with worrying and panic attacks, dealing with procrastination, building confidence, and pursuing passion. She presented a lot of stories and testimonials to show that the rule can be helpful in many different areas.

Here is Mel Robbins’ Ted Talk that I really like: How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over.