Okay, 5 Second Rule that shit.
If you haven’t read the 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins, then you need to. I suggest listening to the audio book because she is really personal and relatable and tells the story the way she meant it to be read/heard.
Countdown like a space shuttle that is getting ready to take off.
5,4,3,2,1 (say it out loud!) and physically move your body. Take a step, get up, or grab something that will help stop the procrastinating (like your homework or class notebook if it’s nearby). Taking a step or getting up is the most effective but this process can work in many ways.
The countdown helps your brain prepare for whatever it is that is about to happen. We associate a countdown with something big that is about to occur. In our society, we countdown for midnight on new years, space shuttles getting ready to take off, things that we’ve been waiting for that are exciting, etc. It builds anticipation. The physical movement or step initiates the change in whatever you are trapped in, like procrastination or anxiety. If you are sitting in bed, countdown, then take a step away from your bed, then you are more likely to stop procrastinating and continue moving on to something that is more productive. You would have built up anticipation in your brain and moved on to something different after that build up.
If you don’t countdown it literally will not work. The countdown serves the purpose of association. We take steps and move all the time but we don’t associate it with something specific like a “procrastination stopper” or whatever. Moving and taking steps are an instinct. Most of us don’t consciously think “okay, I am taking a step, and another, and another, and another step,”. If you are sitting down on your bed and you’re actively procrastinating and it’s building up into anxiety and guilt and then you stand up, you’re just going to sit back down because there was nothing to build up and your movement wasn’t associated with something to make change. In psychology this is learning, or more specifically, classical conditioning. The countdown is the conditioned stimulus. The conditioned response it the physical movement. The difference is that instead of someone else or an outside occurrence conditioning you, you’re doing it to yourself. If you want learn more about classical conditioning, look it up. It’s crazy cool and if you learn how to use it then it can help you break bad habits and the like.
This process also requires mental effort. If you go into it with a negative mindset, thinking to yourself things like “this is stupid, it’s not going to work, nothing has worked before, I’m just stuck, I am not the one to blame so why would I be the one to fix it”, it probably won’t work, because you’re not allowing it to. This is NOT a miracle pill that you take and suddenly you’re cured. This is all about a process that aids in a change of mindset. You have to mentally prepare yourself and be honest with yourself. “I am struggling with _____ (procrastination, anxiety, fear, laziness, perfectionism, etc) and I need to handle it better. I am going to countdown out loud and move away from what I am struggling with in the effort to be able to do something better that will actually help.” Then do it. Countdown out loud and physically move.
Give it a couple tries, it might not work the first time. It’s something to get used to and you have to be actively giving effort towards it. Go into it with a hopeful mindset and read the book if you’re interested. I really hope this helps some people. I know that it helps me quite often. I use this method when I am struggling with anxiety or when I wanted to stay in bed and sleep rather than going to work.
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