Everybody procrastinates occasionally. They might do it while studying, when hitting the gym, or trying to pick up a book. When it happens rarely, it’s not an issue. But when the frequency is high, it can hurt our mental and physical health. When we find ourselves unable to get anything done, we need something to beat the procrastination. A simple solution to this is the 5-minute rule.
Let’s have a look at what the 5-minute rule is and how you can use it to beat procrastination.
What is the 5 minute rule
The 5-minute rule is a simple cognitive behavioral therapy technique created to beat procrastination and increase productivity by helping you start the task you would otherwise avoid.
The rule is easy to use. All you need to do is to commit 5 minutes to the task you’re procrastinating. After those 5 minutes, it’s up to you how to proceed. If you don’t feel like doing more, you can stop here. You already did what you promised yourself. However, you’ll usually feel like continuing until the task is done.
The rule can be used for anything you might procrastinate. It can help you with reading, working, studying, working out, forming habits and much more.
Related: What is the 2-minute rule?
Why the 5-minute rule can help you overcome procrastination
Large tasks seem unmanageable. They require a large amount of time and effort. The more time and effort it requires, the more likely you’ll be to procrastinate.
The 5-minute rule tricks your brain into believing the task is small and manageable. Instead of committing for an hour, you just have to give it 5 minutes. When you know that you don’t have to continue for long, it’ll be much easier to get started. And as starting is usually the hardest part, it can remove a roadblock to your productivity.
While it might seem counterproductive to only commit 5 minutes, it can also help you to have more productive hours. Often, you’ll feel like continuing after the 5 minutes are up, and you’ll end up finishing your task. And even when you leave when the time is up, you’ll still produce more than you otherwise would.
How to use the 5-minute rule to beat procrastination
The 5-minute rule is simple and easy to use. It only requires 4 small steps. Let’s have a look at how you can use it to beat procrastination and become more productive.
Related: How to increase productivity with a journal
1. Remove distractions and prepare yourself
A common reason for procrastination is that you have more stimulating alternatives. You’re phone, Netflix, and games will most likely produce more dopamine than your tasks. The 5-minute rule won’t help you if you’re too distracted.
Before you begin, you should remove your distractions. Hide the TV remote, put your phone on airplane mode or in another room, close all the unnecessary tabs on your computer, and remove anything else that might be distracting you.
When there’s nothing to steal your attention, it’ll be easier to get started, and you’ll be more likely to want to continue after the 5 minutes. When you’re distraction-free, you can begin the task.
2. Set a timer
Once you’ve removed your distractions and are ready to begin, you can set a timer for 5 minutes. This is the duration you’ll dedicate your attention to the task at hand.
Alternative use of the 5-minute rule
In some cases, it makes more sense to set a small goal for yourself instead of a timer. Or you might simply prefer this approach. A few examples of what this might look like could be:
- Working out: Instead of setting a timer, you can show up at the gym and change. Once you’ve changed, you can decide if you want to continue with your workout or head home.
- Reading: Instead of reading 5 minutes, you can read one page. Once you’ve read one page, you can decide if you want to continue or put the book away.
- Instead of writing 5 minutes, you can write one paragraph. Once you’ve written one paragraph, you can decide if you want to continue or leave it here.
Remember, the goal should be small to have the right effect. If you make it too big, it loses its purpose.
Related: How to break the habit of multitasking
3. Work until the timer goes off
This step is the same whether you went with the timer or a small goal. Work until the time is up or you’ve reached the small goal. Make sure that you stay focused here all the way to the end.
4. You decide how to proceed
Once the time is up or you’ve finished your task, you can decide how to proceed depending on how you feel.
If you don’t feel like continuing, you can leave it knowing you did something. There is no shame in letting it go here, and you still did more than you otherwise would. You did something difficult and gathered a small win.
If you feel like continuing, you can do so. Continue for as long as you’d like or until the task is complete. This is the most common outcome of the 5-minute rule.
Tips for using the 5-minute rule effectively
There is a few things you can do to make the 5-minute rule even more effective for beating procrastination and increasing productivity. Let’s look at a few of those.
1.Avoid multitasking
We aren’t able to concentrate on more than one thing at once. We’re quickly switching attention from one thing to another when we multitask. This constant change in attention requires a lot of energy and produces sloppy work. Long-term use of multitasking can even result in worse concentration and a constant need for stimulation.
You have to dedicate your full attention to the 5-minute rule to work. You can’t do that if you multitask, and it might even hurt your long-term productivity.
2. Use the 5 second rule
Even with the 5-minute rule, you might still find that it can be difficult to get started with your tasks. If this is the case, you can use something called the 5-second rule.
The 5-second rule is a simple technique that removes your brain’s ability to talk you out of doing something. All you have to do is count down from 5 and set the timer immediately as you hit 0. From here, you can begin your work.
Finishing thoughts
The 5-minute rule is a simple cognitive behavioral therapy technique that can help you overcome procrastination. To use it, all you have to do is commit 5 minutes of focus to the task that you’re procrastinating.
After the 5 minutes, you’re free to stop. But often, you’ll find that you want to do more.
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