How the 5 Second Rule Changed My Life

If you haven’t heard of the 5 Second Rule, it is a book by Mel Robbins. It completely changed my life. I am not a morning person. In fact, I hate mornings. I love my sleep, and mornings typically equal the end of my sleep. That being said, I've always longed to be a morning person. I needed a change in my life. I needed to start my days earlier in order to fit more productive hours into my day. Unfortunately, I could never get my butt out of bed. I’m not joking, I would set 15 alarms… FIFTEEN! I would still shut every single one of them off and sleep until I absolutely HAD to get up. It was a habit I couldn’t seem to break.

In simple terms, the 5-second rule tells us that when we have an idea or task we want to start, we should count backward from 5, and then DO IT. Launch off like a rocket. No waiting. It almost seems silly because it is such a simple concept. I knew the first place I needed to try this rule was with my morning routine. When my 5 AM alarm went off, I counted back, “5-4-3-2-1” and then I threw off the covers and got my butt out of bed. The next morning, “5-4-3-2-1,” I got up early and started my day with no snoozing my alarm. Could it really be? Could something seemingly simple (and half silly) really make that big of an impact in my life? The answer is yes. To this day I still get up before 5 AM most mornings thanks to the 5-second rule.

I don’t only use this rule for getting up in the mornings. I use it to get myself up off the couch and complete tasks I don’t feel like doing. I use it to push play on my workouts every day. I use it to get out of my comfort zone when it comes to my direct sales business. It is useful in so many aspects of my day to day life, from folding laundry to logging off of social media, “5-4-3-2-1” is something that resounds in my head multiple times a day.

If you struggle with getting sidetracked, procrastination, and lack of motivation I highly encourage you to read (or listen- as busy mama Audible is a game changer for me!) to this book. The simple concept is easily applicable and is a legitimate life-changing tool! I own my mornings. I used to waste AN HOUR hitting snooze. I wouldn't even get any restful sleep between my alarms that were set for every three minutes. It got me nowhere, except for annoyed with myself and more tired than I would have been if I had just woken up to my first alarm. I procrastinate household chores less. I waste far less time “thinking” and spend it actually DOING! Now, 5-4-3-2-1, go do something productive!

- Kassidy K.