The 5 Second Rule

Jun 11, 2018 / Photography / habits / how to be creative / artist tools

My latest experiment involves Habitica. It is a productivity app that is a role playing game. When you complete habits, daily tasks, and to-dos, you get points and progress through levelsäóîjust like in a video game. You could also join groups (called äóìguildsäóù) and play together to battle monsters. To defeat the monster, you simply complete your to-do list. The more to-dos you complete, the more damage you inflict on the monster. The app’s slogan is “Gamify Your Life,” and that’s what it truly does.

While browsing through the various guilds that I could join, I came upon this advice from @Lignocerous:

I’ve never heard of the 5 second rule, so I went to YouTube and searched for the “5 second rule.” I listened to this podcast from Lewes Howes.

The 5 second rule is so simple: if you want to do something, count down 5…4…3…2…1 and then immediately get up and do it.

Mel Robbins makes some interesting statements. Here are my key takeaways from the podcast.

Our Brain Protects Us From Danger

Our brain has evolved in ways to protect us from danger. That is not surprising really. What is surprising is what Mel Robbins says next.

She says that anything that we want in life, whether it is to write a book, speak in front of an audience, get a better job, or build a business are considered by the brain as risky. And risky means danger. Our brain will always put on the brakes. What do we then do? We convince ourselves that it’s not worth doing it. The 5 second rule essentially circumvents this second-guessing tendency of the brain. It will not have time to do it’s Jedi tricks on you in order to äóìprotectäóù you from perceived danger.

Your Feelings Don’t Matter

You can’t control how you feel, but you can always control what you think and what you do. Even if you don’t feel like doing something, just do it. Your feelings don’t matter. This makes sense to me. This is consistent with other people’s advice. Act confident even though you don’t feel confident. If you are afraid to do something, do it anyway. Do the 5 second countdown and immediately start doing what you’re afraid to do.

So the next time you want to do something, remember that you’re feelings don’t matter. Don’t give your brain a chance to convince you that your goal is too risky. Do a countdown.

5
4
3
2
1

Go!