The 5 Minute Rule

While no one is immune from procrastination, there is a really simple way to trick your brain into pushing through the inertia most of us feel at the beginning of a difficult task.

In this video I introduce you to the 5-minute Rule, why it works and how you can use it to get started on the things you’ve been avoiding.

Hi there 👋 If you're new to my videos my name is Matt D'Avella.

I'm a documentary filmmaker, entrepreneur and YouTuber. I've made a couple documentaries for Netflix. I also teach courses on everything from filmmaking to habit change.

If you like to nerd out about self-development as much as I do, you can subscribe for weekly videos.

🔗 LINKS

🎬 CREDITS
Directed by Matt D'Avella
Produced by Shawn Forno & Matt D'Avella
Cinematography by Kariza Santos & Matt D'Avella
Edited by Matt D'Avella
Research by Janessa Tan

[mattdavella]

Now that we've got the 3 Year Rule, 2 Day Rule and 5 Minute Rule... maybe I do a video on "The 5 Second Rule"? What would that video be on? 🤔

[ICEcoldJT]

“Our brains actually don’t mind hard work. We just don’t like the idea of it.” - Matt D’Avella

[nik_evdokimov]

Turns out I've been using the 5 minute rule the whole time - the "I'll sleep 5 more minutes" or "I'll scroll social media for 5 more minutes" and so on 😂

[james]

A really important extra note - Use the 5-minute rule not to trick yourself into doing more work, otherwise you will just see it as the big scary task. Genuinely let yourself leave the task after 5 minutes if you want to, otherwise, you won't use the technique and make doing that task a long term habit.

[BrainLoft]

"Motivation often comes after starting, not before.
Action produces momentum."
-James Clear

[DemetriPanici]

*"Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going." - Sam Levenson*

[praisedEnlightener]

I recently learned that I have bad anxiety, and it has got to the point where I can not find the energy to start anything whatsoever. Not even getting up to drink water when thirsty. This video came in at the perfect time. I'm gonna write "5 minute rule" on a sticky note to keep reminding myself of it. So far, in the past 10 minutes, I've done 2 things. That's 2 more things than I did in the past 4 days. Thanks Matt!

[komphatak]

I decided to read ONLY 10 pages of a book per sitting, and tally marking the pages that I have finished. I ended reading 21 books in the lockdown period 📙📚😊

[TravelingwithKristin]

Another super effective productivity hack is to say out loud what you’re about to do. Somehow articulating it makes it clearer, more tangible, easier to start (which is the hardest part).

[VoyagersRevenge]

The 5 minute rule keeps me alive. Generally, without it, it’s easy for me to tune into a sweet television series 😖

[AuthenTech]

Woulda been kinda sweet if this video was 5min exactly ;)

[modernteenageinvestor]

Short summary of the video that you can paste in your notes.
The 5 minute rule:
If you want to stop procrastinating and actually get started on a big project/anything else that you are intimidated to do, set a 5 minute timer and work on that project. Once the time is up you can do whatever you want tho chances are high that you will want to finish the whole project because you already surpassed your comfort zone, which is the hardest part.

[TheWitchOfWonderlust]

Matt you always upload the perfect video at the perfect time. Thank you for your quick, easy to understand and enjoyable content that always ups my game in life.

[RealJamieBarclay]

Here are the 2 reasons you've found yourself procrastinating your whole life.

1) You're not doing something you naturally enjoy and you naturally find yourself working at. If you have to force it, you'll eventually procrastinate no matter how disciplined.

2) You have subconscious fears of failure/judgement. You won't work on that essay or on your work if you're associating your value with the quality of the end result. Therefore, procrastinating will give you a scapegoat.

[improvetheory]

There is 2 pains in life:
The pain of discipline
Or the pain of regret
Discipline weighs ounces
But regret weighs tons.
Great content Matt 💯

[sanskriti]

This literally happened with me today...I had to write an article and I told myself I'll just research a little about it today and write it tomorrow, but I actually ended up writing the whole thing today itself. I was like "Huh. Well that was easy." Procrastination happens when we think about a task too much and attach ourselves to the emotions associated with it. It's funny how the antidote to procrastination is actually that simple.

[rebekahdeere]

One of my favorite quotes: “You can act your way to a new feeling, but you can’t feel your way to a new action.” I don’t usually feel like cleaning, but once I start I can’t stop. The 5 minute rule works great with this. Thanks for the tip!

[lukeMac]

I guess I'm the only guy who actually DOES quit after the 5 minutes. Even so, the rule has a lot of value because even those little increments add up and get you over that inertia in the end.

[MrsRemi]

Matt gives amazing advice but I feel like he might not know what a tiger looks like 😂 2:22

[Chris-mjql]

Yes, I have always been telling people this when it comes to starting to exercise. Sometimes I do give up after the 5 minutes, and that's okay; but most of the time once I get started I want to keep going. Plus the 5 minutes I did do helps to keep the habit in place.