The 5 Second Rule

Transform Your Life, Work and Confidence With Everyday Courage By Mel Robbins

Book Summary

Before the Five Second Rule, Mel struggled with making decisions. She dreaded taking any action in fear of failure and judgement. Procrastination was her drink of choice, she was drunk and constantly paralyzing herself from it. This affected many parts of her life negatively impacting everything from her career to her relationships.

Then one evening she fell asleep on the couch to be woken up to a rocket launch on television. This became a symbol that led her to break down the barriers that were holding her back. The countdown for the launch inspired the 5 Second Rule as it reflected action. Once the countdown was over there was no turning back. All systems go!

After developing the 5 Second Rule, Mel transformed her approach in decision making and it paid off in spades. Now she teaches others to help themselves take assertive action.

Here are the five big ideas when using the simple 5 Second Rule:

Big Idea #1 - Set Deadlines and Goals

To truly get things done, you need to set deadlines and goals. According to Parkinson’s law, people tend to expand their work in order to fill the time that is available to them and when we don’t set a deadline we may be spinning our wheels.

Big Idea #2 - Remove Temptation

Put yourself in situations where you are not distracted or tempted to do anything else other than what you set yourself up for. For example, if you are looking to get up early, instead of having your alarm clock next to you, hide it in another room to increase the barrier of diving back into bed.

Big Idea #3 - Develop A Morning Ritual

The first few hours are the most important when you wake up. It’s when we get our engines fired up and our energies are rising. Take those hours to plan and use them for yourself. This way you put your priorities first instead of someone else's.

Big Idea #4 - Reframe Anxiety and Worry

Changing your state of mind about anxiety and worry will allow you to do MORE. If you are anxious, reframe it to excitement and if you are worried think about being grateful for the moment.

Big Idea #5 - Practice

It's not going to happen over night so keep on practicing the tips above. It takes courage to act on the rule so do what you can no matter how small it is because over time the smaller things will add up to the bigger things.