Intro: This simple productivity technique can allow you to start doing that task which you should be doing, but you feel too tired or unmotivated to do.

What is 5 second rule?

According to Mel, she asks us to count from 5 to 1, just like a NASA rocket count down and start the small action of the task which you got to do.

Example: Count 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, get out of bed and wear your gym shoes to hit gym.

She says, by counting, we can trick our brain that something must happen after counting down hit 1. This rule worked for her, she stopped hitting snooze button on her alarm, it helped her to stop procrastinating to update her resume and apply for jobs. Later she got a job in CNN.

Why is it so hard for us to do the little things? She says our brains are designed to protect us from doing scary things. So, we try to get postpone the uncomfortable things. The ugly truth is that we must be doing the difficult things to achieve something. If you look back to your life, you can see that nothing you have achieved at the comfort of your couch. Everything you achieved was due to your hard efforts and making those two hands dirty.

Footnote: You can mix up this rule with 5 minutes rule where you tell your brain/heart that you are going to do this task only for 5 minutes and start doing it and later you continue to do the task. Applying both rules together can eliminate the initial friction to start the work. As the famous YouTuber/ Doctor Ali Abdaal says ‘Friction is the most powerful force in the universe which stops us from getting things done’.