- “The 5-Second Rule” by Mel Robbins introduces a practical technique to overcome hesitation and take immediate action.
- The book combines scientific insights with relatable stories, making it an engaging and accessible self-help guide.
- Readers can apply the 5-second rule to boost productivity, build confidence, and make transformative changes in their personal and professional lives.
In “The 5-Second Rule,” author and speaker Mel Robbins introduces you to the stories of famous figures in art, history, and business to reveal simple tools you can use to become your best self. In this book review, you’ll learn how to increase productivity, collaboration, and engagement by using the power of a “push moment” — taking five seconds to break through tough times when you’re close to self-sabotage. With Robbins’ proven tools, you’ll get the motivation and perspective you need to take your life to the next level.
Discover how to enrich your life in only five seconds by tapping into your inner courage.
READ THIS BOOK REVIEW IF YOU:
- Want to become more confident
- Are looking for ways to overcome self-defeating habits
- Need help mitigating your anxiety
Table of Contents
Introduction: The 5-Second Rule
You might be thinking: Five seconds is a pretty short amount of time. Can you really transform your mindset and set off huge changes in your life in just a few moments? Millions of people have done just that with Mel Robbins’ method — and you can too.
First, you must realize that no one else in the world has the unique power that you have: the power to change your life. Look in the mirror and discover this person who’s going to take charge and transform everything. Look at how you live, love, and work. Look at you.
Mel Robbins created the 5-Second Rule when she was in the toughest point of her life. She was losing her marriage, her finances were a disaster, and her career was falling apart. She originally invented the rule to keep from hitting the snooze button in the morning, but she found that it was useful for just about any habit or situation she wanted to change. Seven years later, she and her husband celebrated their 20th anniversary, sold two small businesses, and had seven figures in the bank.
The 5-Second Rule can help you believe in yourself and your abilities and can silence the self-doubt that keeps you from taking steps you need to take. It teaches you a no-more-excuses approach to your goals and shows you how to replace endless to-do lists with action. It even helps you manage difficult emotions, like anger or grief.
Instead of letting tough situations and self-doubt hold you back, you’ll learn to make “heart-first decisions,” ignoring your fear and letting your confidence shine through. Maybe you think about working out but never go to the gym. Or you want to call an old friend, but you continually put if off. Most of the time, you know what you should do. But change feels hard and scary, so you do what feels comfortable instead. The problem with getting stuck in a pattern of putting things off is that it becomes a rut — and then a hole that swallows you up and feels impossible to escape.
The 5-Second Rule teaches you how to launch yourself like a rocket out of that place you’re stuck in. In fact, that’s how the rule was born. Robbins was inspired by a NASA launch with its traditional countdown — 5-4-3-2-1 — to set off the rocket. So, when you’re trying to get yourself out of bed in the morning, say, “5-4-3-2-1.” It might sound silly, but when you honor it with the deliberate action of getting out of bed, wow! You just started your day on time.
At first, counting backward for five seconds might seem stupid. It did to Robbins. But day after day, it worked for her, and she changed her habits and started seeing the effect this had on the rest of her life. Counting backward allows you to stop overthinking things and ignore the voices in your head that fill you with doubt and excuses. Research shows that this counting activates the prefrontal cortex: the part of the brain that helps you focus and take charge.
Throughout the day, you can use the rule to push yourself to do things that change you for the better: put down the cake, call your friend, or finish your résumé. In five seconds, you empower yourself to do what you should do regardless of how you’re feeling about it. Best of all, the more you practice the rule, the more you’ll be amazed by your ability to get things done, creating a positive feedback loop of confidence and productivity.
The Power of Courage
When you think of people who exemplify courage, you probably think of heroes like Rosa Parks, the Dalai Lama, or Nobel Prize winners. But there are monumental, invisible acts of courage happening around you every day — including in your own life.
Every day has its challenges and uncertainties, but when you face those moments head-on, you unlock new opportunities. Whether it’s asking for a raise, deciding to go back to school, starting a new business, or just getting yourself out of bed, the smallest moments in your everyday life can transform everything. Even Rosa Parks thought that refusing to give up her seat on a bus wasn’t such a big deal, but look at the movement she helped start. Her gut instinct told her she had a right to sit anywhere on that bus, and by following through with that feeling, she unknowingly helped start a 381-day bus boycott for civil rights.
Often, when you have that urge to do something you know you should do, doubts immediately start to pile up. You might tell yourself that you’re just waiting to feel ready or waiting for the right time. Maybe you’re having trouble believing you’re worthy of the changes you want to make. But by holding back and protecting yourself from rejection, you’re only reinforcing your fears. When you break the cycle and push yourself to pursue your goals, you’ll feel more confident to keep reaching for what you want, and your successes will propel you to take even more leaps in the direction you choose.
It can be really hard to push yourself to do simple things, like having a morning routine or tackling your to-do list. But remember that the initial amount of energy you need to get started is a lot more than the amount of energy it takes to keep going. You’ll feel resistance because it’s hard to push yourself to do something you don’t feel like doing. You’d rather stay comfortable. But you must feel this struggle to push through it. And once you build momentum from choice to choice and task to task, you’re more likely to keep accomplishing the things you want to do.
Courage Changes Your Behavior
When it comes to your habits, do you find yourself engaging in destructive or impulsive behavior that causes you to have regrets? Maybe you cringe when you hear yourself snapping at your spouse or children, or you’re concerned by how difficult it is for you to control your drinking. Many people find that getting healthy is one of the most difficult challenges they face because it involves so many little decisions throughout the day. But life isn’t about doing the things that feel easy — it’s about making yourself do the things that feel hard. If you wait until you feel like doing something, you’ll be waiting awhile. Instead, apply the 5-4-3-2-1 Rule and stop thinking so much about how you feel.
Charlie weighed 383 pounds and had a 54-inch waist. He suffered from a variety of health problems, felt tired all the time, and struggled with depression. He knew he had to make a change, but he didn’t know where to start. Applying the 5-Second Rule was life-changing for Charlie. In 529 days, he lost 176 pounds through juicing and exercising. The drinks he made tasted a lot like grass, and his out-of-shape body resisted moving and trying new exercises. But Charlie followed his instinctive urge to lose weight and used the rule to direct himself away from excuses and into purposeful action. Now he has a new outlook on life and a strong, healthy body. What if Charlie had spent those 529 days sitting around, thinking about getting healthy but ordering another pizza instead?
The 5-Second Rule can also help you manage distractions and follow through on productivity goals. It’s hard to resist the pull of social media, disable notifications on your phone, and stop checking email every few minutes. But those little diversions interfere with one of your most valuable assets: your ability to focus. Your goals are more important than the buzz you get from reading a fun story or checking Instagram. It may seem harmless to waste time in this way, but when that time becomes chunks of your life that are lost because you can’t resist scrolling, you’re missing out on what’s really important.
One of the best ways to set the tone for an intentional, distraction-free day is to follow Robbins’ daily routine:
- Get up when the alarm rings — 5-4-3-2-1-GO! No excuses.
- Go into the bathroom and turn off the alarm. That’s right — no alarm next to your bed, tempting you to lounge away for another 30 minutes.
- Brush your teeth and start making plans for the day ahead.
- Get dressed, make your bed, and drink some tea or coffee. Remember, you still haven’t looked at your phone or gone online to check email.
- Write down the three things you must accomplish that day. Just by writing them down, you’re 42% more likely to do them.
- Plan out your day. Keep resisting the urge to go online and don’t give in to other distractions.
- Decide what time you’re going to stop working for the day.
Courage Changes Your Mind
Did you know that procrastination isn’t a result of laziness? It’s actually a coping mechanism for stress. When you feel stressed to the max, your mind has a difficult time sorting out what to do first, and you end up spinning your wheels instead of making progress. Unfortunately, it’s a vicious cycle: The less you do, the more tasks and responsibilities pile up, and the more overwhelmed you feel.
If you have panic attacks, a fear of flying, or a persistent habit of worrying, the 5Second Rule can calm your mind and redirect your anxious thoughts. According to Robbins, you can tap into your inner courage to make your mind work for you instead of against you.
Here’s how to use the 5-Second Rule to de-stress, tackle your tasks, and manage day-to-day anxiety.
As soon as you catch yourself worrying, count down from 5 and replace the worrying images in your head with a positive, peaceful image. Robbins talks about worrying after her husband buys a new motorcycle. Suddenly, every time he leaves the driveway, she worries about him getting hit, and her fear is paralyzing. But what good does her worrying do? It doesn’t keep him any safer, and it definitely doesn’t make her afternoon any easier — it does the opposite. Instead, when she notices herself worrying, she counts down and then replaces her scary thoughts with a powerful image of him riding in the sunshine with a big smile on his face.
Like Robbins, your thoughts might tend to drift into worry. But with the 5-Second Rule, you take charge of what your mind focuses on. When your mind takes you somewhere sad or dark, you don’t have to follow it there. This is an incredibly powerful skill to learn.
Conclusion: Courage Changes Everything
In this summary, you’ve learned about using the 5-Second Rule to change your behavior, habits, and thoughts, which can have a transformative impact on how you live your life.
Keep in mind that everyone experiences fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt from time to time, but living life well requires courage. Luckily, you have all the courage you need right inside of you. Follow your inner wisdom — your goal-related instincts are there to guide you. Don’t stifle the inner voice that urges you toward something. Instead, learn to bet on it.
Every new phase of your life — parenthood, changes in your career, and so on — will require something different from you. When you use the 5-Second Rule, you become the person you need to be for the next part of your life. You have a five-second window of opportunity to head in a new direction: 5-4-3-2-1-GO!
Mel Robbins is an author, journalist, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker. She created the popular Audible series “Kick Ass with Mel Robbins” and is co-founder of The Confidence Project, a media and digital learning company.
Genres
Personal Growth, Self Help, Nonfiction, Personal Development, Psychology, Productivity, Business, Inspirational, Leadership, Health, Motivatinal, Self-Esteem, Relationships
Table of Contents
The 5 second rule. Five seconds to change your life ; How I discovered the 5 second rule ; What you can expect when you use it ; Why the rule works
The power of courage. Everyday courage ; What are you waiting for? ; You’ll never feel like it ; How to start using the rule
Courage changes your behavior. How to become the most productive person you know ; Improve your health ; Increase productivity ; End procrastination
Courage changes your mind. How to become the happiest person you know ; Stop worrying ; End anxiety ; Beat fear
Courage changes everything. How to become the most fulfilled person you know ; Building real confidence ; Pursuing passion ; Enrich your relationships
The power of you.
Review
“The 5-Second Rule” by Mel Robbins is a motivational self-help book that presents a simple yet powerful concept to transform one’s life and overcome self-doubt and procrastination. The central idea is the 5-second rule, which is a practical technique to push yourself into action. The book provides readers with actionable advice and real-life examples to help them gain more control over their thoughts, decisions, and behaviors. Mel Robbins argues that by counting down from 5 to 1, you can break the habit of overthinking and ignite the courage to make positive changes in your life.
The book is divided into several key sections, including discussions on the science behind the 5-second rule, its application in various aspects of life, and success stories from individuals who have used this rule to make significant improvements. Mel Robbins emphasizes the importance of taking immediate action to stop hesitation and self-sabotage, providing readers with a practical tool to help them seize opportunities and overcome obstacles.
“The 5-Second Rule” is a highly engaging and practical self-help book that empowers readers to take charge of their lives with a deceptively simple technique. Mel Robbins combines scientific insights with personal anecdotes and compelling stories to make a convincing case for the effectiveness of the 5-second rule.
One of the book’s strengths is its accessibility. The concept of counting down from 5 to 1 to take action is straightforward and can be applied to a wide range of situations, from boosting productivity and conquering procrastination to building confidence and making difficult decisions. The book is designed to be a practical guide, and readers can easily start implementing the 5-second rule immediately after reading.
Mel Robbins’ writing style is engaging and relatable. She shares her own struggles and challenges, making the book feel like a conversation with a friend who understands the common obstacles we all face. Her authenticity and sincerity resonate with readers, making the book not only informative but also emotionally impactful.
The book’s success stories and real-life examples illustrate how the 5-second rule can lead to transformative changes in various aspects of life, from personal relationships to professional growth. These examples provide concrete evidence of the rule’s efficacy and inspire readers to take action in their own lives.
While “The 5-Second Rule” offers valuable insights and practical advice, it’s important to note that, like many self-help books, its effectiveness may vary from person to person. The rule may not be a one-size-fits-all solution for every challenge, but it is a valuable tool that can help individuals gain more control over their thoughts and actions.
In conclusion, “The 5-Second Rule” is a motivational and actionable self-help book that encourages readers to overcome hesitation and take control of their lives. Mel Robbins’ concept of the 5-second rule is simple yet powerful, and the book is an inspiring and practical guide to harness everyday courage for personal transformation. Whether you’re looking to boost your confidence, improve your decision-making, or break free from procrastination, this book provides a valuable tool to help you achieve your goals.