Have you heard about the simple 5 minute rule? Do you find yourself in a constant battle of keeping up with things? Procrastination seems to be winning. Things are not done. The number of tasks seem to be overwhelming and even increasing. Deadlines are missed and panic sets in as even more things are added to your list of things to do.
There has to be a solution to it. How about trying the 5 minute rule. Yes, just 5 minutes.
If you find yourself in that situation you know the hardest thing is starting out. Thinking the worst and imagining the whole thing as a nightmare and is it too late? Can it be done? Will it take too long? You can also find yourself losing time worrying about it. You may also start believing it is better for you to feel like this and avoid the awful situation of doing the task. The more you put it off the worse it gets.
This can lead to a negative habit of putting things off. Thinking there is too much to do and rather not do any. Where on earth do you start?
This is where the five minute rule could be just for you
Stop, take a deep breath in and slowly out and commit yourself to focus on the task you need to do right now. You are committing 5 minutes of your time to it.
If you find it is too hard and just not possible to achieve right now then stop and even jot down the steps you need to take to achieve it. Maybe you don’t have all the things to do it, or the extra time to focus on it right now.
The worst thing was starting it and with the 5 minute time frame you have overcome that hurdle and are now focused on completing that task. It may take you longer to do it but once you are in the momentum you want to complete it. That is a wonderful feeling of pride and satisfaction. You may feel motivated and inspired to apply the 5 minute rule to the next task on your list. Who knows how much you can accomplish?
Is there a phone call you have to make and you are dreading and know it may take longer than that to even get through to a human? Well using the 5 minute rule you are taking the first step to completing that task or gathering the information.
The best use of a few minutes
The 5-minute rule is a cognitive behavioural therapy technique. It has been successfully used to combat procrastination. It can also be seen as a simple step to take to form new habits and become more productive with your time.
Who can’t use more time in their day to focus on the fun things. Reducing stress and worry is a goal that many of us are striving for. Some simple steps can be taken to achieve this.
