The five second rule

One of the greatest enemies for him Teleworking and productivity It is procrastination. There is always a good reason to postpone whatever you have to do. The bad is that all those tasks are then piled up In an endless list and anxiety, stress and regret of not having done it when you had time. Is that situation familiar to you?

Although it is likely that better way to avoid procrastination Be a break Before starting a new task, leaving things for the last moment is a bad habit that, like weeds, should be cut off as soon as possible. You only need five seconds to take the first step and avoid it.

Account with me: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … do it!

The five -second rule may seem somewhat child take away the bad habit of procrastination.

Its application is as simple as starting a countdown from five when you have to start a new task. When you get to one, not think about it and start doing it immediately. The scientific data demonstrate You shouldn’t think about it, just start doing it.

Australian entrepreneur Tim Denning explained that this technique had helped her face to his bad habit to leave and then the tasks. “This technique helps you avoid postponement and overcome your fear of making a bad decision,” explained the entrepreneur A NBC News.

The technique was first coined by the lecturer, creator of the podcast The Mel Robbins Podcast and author of the book ‘THE POWER OF THE 5 SECONDS: Be brave on a day to day and transform your life‘. Robbins ensures that the way to get out of that emotional and mental paralysis that blocks you and prevents progress begins by the five second rule. You have to prevent the brain from taking the initiative trying to find all kinds of excuses and, instead, take control by action.

In Your Ted talkthe author explains how this “hacke” method Psychology experts call Activation energy. Motivation provides people with an “energy” that does not suppose any effort to do things. When You are motivated in a topic that interests you You don’t mind spending hours looking for information or learning new skills. But when it comes to doing something routine that energy disappears and it costs much more to begin to do so. That is the main ally of procrastination.

With the five second rule, the opportunity is not given to the brain, it will simply be involved in a task that has already begun and subconsciously acquire the commitment to finish it. It’s like starting a car without drums pushing it down a downhill when inertia limps, ends up.

According to Robbins, the key is to prevent your mental habits from taking control and canceling the initial instinct of performing a task. You must move physically Before five seconds or your brain will eliminate it. If you are on the couch and you have to finish a task, Don’t think about it: Count back and get up immediately or your brain will find a thousand and one convincing reasons not to do it. Spoiler: You will end up doing it, but with stress and anxiety.

“When you act with courage, your brain is not involved, your heart speaks first and listen. You face stress,” says the productivity expert, getting a double effect. On the one hand, the rapid action part of the brain that implies the instinctive decision to get up and start doing something is activated.

On the other hand, expert highlights that the influence of the slow acting of the brain is limited, the most rational that analyzes and seeks self -imposed reasons for the bad habit of postponing tasks.

The benefit of this technique not only contributes adoption of good habitsbut it also helps you change the neurolinguistic programming of the brain by reducing the Importor syndrome. At the beginning of the action immediately, there is no option to the brain of raising internal debates and insecurities about what you can do or not. You can do it because, in fact, you are already doing it at that moment.

In Xataka | Non -procrastin because you are a vague, it’s your body by asking you to stop

Image | VITALY GARIEV

*An earlier version of this article was published in January 2024