The 5-minute Rule

You’ve probably come across this popular life hack a couple of times if you’re interested in topics like productivity and self improvement. “If it takes less than 5 minutes, do it now”. Having practiced this rule myself for quite some time now, I've found ways to get the most out of it.

Other productivity and self improvement tips like reducing your screen time or building an exercise routine usually require long time with consistency and embracing a mindset of delayed gratification to reap its benefits. Such a mindset is critical in our modern world where we all have instant access to things that require much less focus and provide high dopamine hits. However fully adapting this mindset in all of your actions is often hard to do in a short timeframe without seeing tangible outcomes.

This is where the 5-minute rule comes in handy, because it lies in that sweet spot where you can't get yourself yet to commit to long-term habits and adapt the delayed gratification mindset, but you are still searching for ways to get more things done and start building small habits. The reason why this hack is so popular is because of how easy you can start applying and testing it yourself. It offers instant tangible results unlike the other tips mentioned earlier, which makes it a great first step to developing habits. If you struggle with making the bed every morning or brushing your teeth, applying the 5-minute rule here will make these actions effortless as you probably won't have to think twice before you get yourself to commit to doing something for only 5 minutes.

But the true advantage of this rule lies in two areas:

1. Quick Wins and Sparking Motivation: When you start practicing this rule you’ll experience instant outcomes—a less cluttered desk, your bed made every morning, your dishes organized in the dishwasher. With each task you get done, it delivers a good dopamine hit and a satisfaction of accomplishment encouraging you to do it even more often. However, this always needs to be balanced with task prioritization as well. If you kept spending all day long just walking around the house or your office finding all the 5-minute tasks you can do to feel this sense of accomplishment, you’ll soon find yourself taken away from the more complicated, meaningful tasks and your to do-list will keep getting longer. Use it to get started but keep your larger priorities in sight.

2. Scalable & Flexible: The 5-min rule is also adaptable to handle bigger tasks with higher priorities. You can set a rule for 15-min or 30-min time blocks instead, to handle tasks that tend to pile up —replying to your emails every morning in only 15 minutes instead of piling them up to hundreds of emails that will take 1-2 hours to read. Experiment with the duration keeping it long enough to do tasks that usually pile up in manageable smaller chunks that you can keep doing on a regular basis. Overtime, you'll also find it easier to spend more time on the bigger overwhelming tasks that you usually dread to start. This strategy will get you into that focus mode you need by just spending the first time block you designed (e.g.: 15 mins) focused on that one task.

The 5-minute rule is more than just a quick-fix tip; it’s an adaptable tool that encourages quick wins, boosts motivation, build self-confidence and adapts to various aspects of life. Try it for tasks that usually get ignored and see how this simple habit can make a meaningful difference.