The 5-Minute Rule

The challenge

Plenty of people find it hard just to get started on a task they don't enjoy. Myself included. Often the first step is the biggest hurdle — but there's a simple trick to break through exactly that block.

A little while ago I wrote about the 2-minute rule, which I found incredibly useful for creating mental space. Today I want to share something similar, yet a little different.

I first heard about the 5-minute rule in one of Ali Abdaal's videos, though unfortunately I can't remember exactly which one it was (let's be honest, he has a ton of great content). At the time I thought: this could be exactly the solution to my barrier. I deliberately call it a "barrier," because for me procrastination is nothing other than that — a barrier.

So what is this "5-minute rule"?

The answer is simple: give any task you absolutely don't feel like doing just 5 minutes. As Ali explains in his video, this approach has two big advantages:

• Those 5 minutes can easily turn into 10 minutes, 20 minutes, or even several hours (no joke).

• And even if they don't, 5 minutes is still better than nothing.

When I first heard this, I thought: that sounds like a fairy tale. So I decided to try it anyway — and you know what? It works! But don't think of it as a life-changing hack that instantly turns everything upside down. Instead, see it as a tool that helps you win the odd battle against procrastination. Maybe you really do stop after the 5 minutes, or maybe you keep going and make progress on something that matters to you.

I often catch myself thinking: let me just do this for 5 minutes and see what happens. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't — but even when it doesn't, I've at least taken a small step forward. And that small step today can lead to a bigger step tomorrow. It simply helps me enormously to stay on track.

Personally, I've come to like this rule even more than the 2-minute rule. That said, they serve different purposes and aren't interchangeable. Working both rules into your daily life takes some consistency, but the results are absolutely worth it.

Super important!

For the rule to keep its magic, you should never force yourself to keep going. Once the 5 minutes are up, notice how you feel. Allow yourself to stop if that's what you feel like in that moment. 5 minutes is still good! It's PROGRESS!

My honest opinion? I'm glad I discovered both of them for myself.

Begli