Can 9 words turn you into productive beast mode? Yeps. The famous 5 Minute Rule is a simple mind hack that changed my life, one task at a time.
And if you apply it too, you’ll be crossing things off faster than you can say “procrastination.”
Can 9 words turn you into productive beast mode
The 5 Minute Rule is simple, and therefore powerful.
It works as follows.
Whenever you are postponing a task, tell yourself:
I will work only 5 minutes on this task
That’s it.
Now go tackle that one task you have delayed for weeks. And see what happens.
Or why not read on?
After all, 300 seconds is nothing compared to the time you will win at work, home, and even when chasing your personal goals…
When to apply the 5 Minute Rule?
The beauty of this anti-procrastination hack is that you can use it for all aspects of your life.
Let me share some personal experiences.
Get that job done
From answering emails, updating my content calendar, writing articles, this rule always gets me started.
Even when I am tempted to put off a minor task, I remind myself that it only takes five minutes.
The effect is a bit similar to the Do It Now productivity hack, but I mainly use that one for household chores.
More time for myself
I love reading. I also love learning new things.
But before I knew the 5 Minute Rule existed, I always postponed things I actually wanted to do.
But as it goes in life…
No time, too many duties (and distractions)
To me, this mind hack was a game-changer.
I finally had time to tackle my delegation list.
And instead of looking at a book and feeling bad that I have no time to read it, I finish a chapter or a few pages during my breaks.
No stinky mountain of dirty dishes anymore
I always believed there was more in life than doing the dishes and laundry.
But a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.
Instead of piling up platters, pots, pans,… my place now looks like a place straight from Instagram.
Reading tip: The laziest way to clean your workspace
Why does the 5 Minute Rule even work?
The 5 Minute Rule has serious psychological backing, making it more than just another fleeting trend.
The psychology behind it
The rule taps into something called the “Zeigarnik Effect”.
That is the scientific name for a strange phenomenon.
People can better remember what they have to do than what they have done.
Let me rephrase that.
We forget what we did. We are always thinking about what we have to do.
Unfinished tasks stay on top of our mind. But if they dwell there for a long time, they cause mental clutter.
So when you complete a task, there is more room to focus on the next one.
Our lazy brain
You may not be aware of it, but our brains are wired to seek the path of least resistance.
By saying the 5 minute rule out loud, you reassure your brain that you need little of its time.
Your brain will not resist and try to convince you to do other things.
It’s up to you to grab that moment and get started.
Kick in the brain
There are many variants of the 5 Minute Rule. The one I listed at the beginning of this article is not the original one.
I didn’t want to mislead you on purpose, but I wanted to save you time.
You see, the original idea of the 5 Minute Rule is that you split up big projects into smaller tasks that take 5 minutes.
And although that is a smart way to get things done, it also has some disadvantages.
- Breaking a project in 5 minute tasks can in itself be daunting.
- Many tasks need over 5 minutes and that can be a huge turnoff for your brain.
- Micromanaging your daily tasks is exhausting. Planning, crossing off a task every 5 minutes, creating a new list will keep you busy. But not productive.
The 5 minute rule gives your brain the kick it needs to get started
That is usually all you need to keep going.
Usually, because giving up is always easier than getting started.
4 bonus tips for the anti-procrastination mind hack
Procrastination is not the same as laziness. It is a habit that sticks like glue.
To prevent that you go back to delaying stuff, you apply some tricks that worked for me.
Tip #1: Make a 5 minute task list for your job, household, etc.
I am a big fan of to-do lists on paper. In digital space, things get lost way too easily.
I also love color-coding. That means that I use different paper colors for my work, administration, household, and so on.
Once a new task appears, I write it on the right list.
And even when I don’t do the task immediately, I create some room in my head.
Tip #2: From 5 to 15 minutes
To-do lists can make you feel horrible if you don’t cross off anything.
But another little productivity hack helped me a lot.
I block 15 minutes per day to spend on only one procrastination list.
Then I finish as much of the tasks as possible.
For me, this works well for administrative tasks, like tax duties, paying bills, accountancy, and so on.
I hated doing that stuff.
But now I am mildly close to organized chaos instead of just chaos.
Thanks to the “Only 5 Minutes Dude, You Can Do That” rule.
Tip #3: Forget time
Time management tricks, like the Pomodoro method, want you to keep an eye on the clock.
And despite the name of the 5 Minute rule, you can better not take that literally.
So don’t set a timer.
And in all cases, keep doing what you started, as long as possible.
It is much easier to finish a task you started than to pick it up again later.
Tip #4: Only wins, but you’ve got to play
It’s tough to create good habits that stick.
At moments, my brain started outsmarting me. It came up with powerful arguments like this one:
Seriously, dude? That will take much longer than 5 minutes. Let’s simply skip it
My brain’s best argument that the 5 minute rule sucks
My answer? I started seeing it as a game that only ends with wins.
And now, me and my brain live in peace, enjoying our mutual wins together.
Summary in 50 seconds
The title of this article asked if you had 5 minutes.
But reading this article from top to bottom took you more.
That’s a perfect illustration of why the 5 minute rule works.
And the fact that you ended here, tells me that your brain is willing to stop procrastinating.
Before you give it a try, remember this:
- Results in no time: The 5 Minute Rule is perfect for procrastinators. It’s like convincing yourself to eat just one potato chip, but less salty.
- Keep going: Once you start, you often end up doing more than planned. Again, it’s like the bag of chips that is empty before you know it.
- All aspects of life: You can apply the rule to any part of your life that’s in desperate need of a productivity boost.
- All fun and games: Don’t think of the rule as another to do thing. Turn it into a game and you will become a productivity champion.
Do you want even more time? Try these lazy hacks to get stuff done without any effort.
