“The moment you have an INSTINCT TO ACT on a goal, you MUST physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will stop you. 5 4 3 2 1 GO!”
Are you doing every exercise in our mindset section but still find yourself procrastinating sometimes? Then you must read it.
If you don’t struggle with motivation yet read it anyway, it will help you when it gets challenging!
WEEK 5: 5 SECOND RULE – A QUICK FIX
This is a fabulous tool. To make it very simple I would like you to imagine that your brain is divided into two parts: Autopilot and Emergency Brake.
Autopilot is that part responsible for remembering our routines and habits. This is when you don’t have to focus on what you are doing, all actions are familiar and effortless (like having a coffee first thing in the morning or getting you to work always the same way, without paying too much attention to it).
Emergency Brake is being activated when you want to do something that is not one of those autopilot activities, i.e. try a new exercise or go to work a different way. Whenever you have an impulse to do something new your Emergency Brake will be trying to stop you from doing it. Everything that is new and not as comfortable as your ‘Autopilot Zone’ will be stopped by the Emergency Brake.
I hope that makes sense so far.
So what Mel Robbins researched and what has been tested and confirmed by many people around the globe, is that after we think about doing something new, we have 5 seconds to take the action. If you are sitting on the sofa and you have a quick thought about doing some exercises you literally have only 5 seconds to lift your bum of the sofa and get into your training gear. If you don’t take the action within these 5 seconds your Emergency Brake will kick off and you will stay on the sofa.
The same happens in the morning when you wake up… if you don’t get up within the first 5 seconds after that alarm clock goes on you will keep on snoozing (PS. Did you know that our brain needs about another 4 hours to get efficient again after snoozing). Try that tomorrow, get up after your alarm clock goes off, count from 5 to 1 and make a move! Out of bed…
This is the super easy but very powerful tool that can help you change anything you want. Because let’s be honest, you cannot continuously keep on waiting till you feel like exercising, or feel like eating better, going to that shop and get some food, etc… you will never feel like it!
The 5 SECOND RULE is the first tool in your toolbox, that you can start using immediately. And remember, everything new is challenging, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes!
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