Description: This week, we will explore the 5 Second Rule, a trick touted by television host, author, and motivational speaker, Mel Robbins. Dr. Boogren will explain how Robbins' work can help us capitalize on our brains' instincts to live healthier, happier, and more fulfilled lives.
Resources:
1. Explore more of Robbins' 5 Second Rule work here!
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Transcription: Hi, and welcome to episode 26 of Self-Care for Educators. I am your host, Tina Boogren, and this week, we're going to explore the Five Second Rule. So, this comes from Mel Robbins, who you may know. She is a speaker. I think she even has a TV show. She's an author. She has some amazing Ted Talks.
The thinking behind the Five Second Rule is this. If you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within five seconds or your brain will kill it. We all know that feeling, right? We think, Huh. I should get up and go work out. And, if we don't actually move our body in five seconds, our brain will override that, and then we stay seated. Right? So, she goes on to say that, when you feel yourself hesitate before doing something that you know you should do, she says this is when we do the Five Second Rule. So, here's the Five Second Rule. Five Second Rule goes like this. It's literally a countdown: five, four, three, two, one, go and move towards action.
She says, there's this window that exists between the moment that you have an instinct to change in your mind to killing it. And, that's at five seconds. It exists for everyone. And so, if you don't do something, you will stay stagnant. We've all been there. We've all done that over and over and over again. I have been playing around with the Five Second Rule for quite a while now, actually, and I love it. And, it's one of those kind of hidden things that I do in my mind that I forget to even share. And, I ... It dawned on me today ... I've been using the Five Second Rule to get out of bed in the morning. So, I've made a pretty strong commitment to not hit the snooze button. And, oh man, that's a really, really, really hard one. Of course, that's a perfect example of like, we know we should get out of bed, but if we don't act within five seconds, it's really easy to stay there. So, I just do the five, four, three, two, one, go, and then don't overthink it. You just get up. Right?
The minute that I'm sitting around and I think, Oh gosh, I really, I should go do that thing. Five, four, three, two, one, go. I use it oftentimes for working out, because so much of it, as we all know ... I know I'll feel better if I go work out. It's just the getting up and getting moving, because I've got to change the clothes and do the things. Right? And so, the idea is instead of playing that whole mental torture game in your mind, you just five, four, three, two, one, go.
Five four, three, two, one, go.
Hard part is remembering to do this. So, one of my suggestions is just put, put five, four, three, two, one, go on a sticky note in a few different places where you will see it, like places that you typically spend time during the days. So, you'll just see that little note and remind yourself to just go. Get it done. Get it done. Get it done. I want you to play with that this week, and see when it works for you. If it works for you ... How you use it ...If this is something you've played around with before ... This Five Second Rule has been around for quite a while, actually. And, there's been a lot of different people talk about using this for different ways. I use it sometimes during workshops. Some of you have maybe been in a workshop with me where I've done five, four, three, two, one, and made you stand up and move your body in some way to just kind of re-energize. So, there's lots of ways we can tweak this and play with it. That's it, though. I want you to just give it a shot. See if it works. If it helps you get out of bed in the morning ... If it helps you get moving ... If it helps you accomplish different things on your to-do list ... How does it work for you? I cannot wait to hear how you're playing with the ... with the Five Second Rule. And, that's it. You guys, short and sweet this week. Can't wait to hear ... hear how this goes for you.
As always, oh my goodness, huge thank you to Brooke for making this happen. Special, special, thank you to Marzano Resources and Solution Tree for this job I get to do. And, thank you to you, my bad-ass Self-Care Squad.
Five, four, three, two, one, go!