The Truth About the 5-Seconds Rule
What if I told you that in 5 seconds, you could be 5 years younger, 5 million-dollar richer, and 5 inches taller? All in 5 seconds! What would you call me? A realist or a charlatan? I think a "joker" would suffice if you decide to sound nice.
The reason is quite obvious: you would argue that things don't just happen or change in a twinkle of an eye except if I was a magician or something. And you would be perceived as logical for your stance, wouldn't you?
How then do we accept the 5-second rule without consideration or question?
Just in case you are not familiar with the concept of this rule, let me demystify it. According to Smartpedia: "The 5 Second Rule is a technique in self-management that reinforces an impulse to move from thinking to action before objections prevent it." The rule was made popular by Mel Robbins, an American lawyer, best-selling author, television host, and motivational speaker.
There is this African proverb that says, "The same door we shut to keep others out, is the one that keeps us stuck in." It is so true of this rule. This same rule that some praise for helping to fight procrastination is what fights against the place of 'thinking' in decision-making. I will expatiate that in a jiffy.
At this juncture, I can perceive you are thinking, "Is this guy trying to criticize Mel Robbins' amazing rule?"
Let me quickly assure you I am not here to attack your "amazing rule" but to beg your indulgence to take a second logical look at the rule as we examine the principles it negates. Looking at the contradictions to basic life principles would serve as a guide to how you should take the rule.
Let's delve in, shall we? Okay then, thank you for permitting me.
- The best idea doesn't always come first:
For instance, you are faced with a decision to either make a purchase that may not be the wise choice in the long run because you have bills to pay; then, suddenly, you do the countdown 5-4-3-2-1 go!
You got it. Why? Because you are trying to avoid procrastination. Now, the ultimate question would be: who pays the bills then? You would be in a fix because you decided to take the "make a decision now" approach. Our first idea is not always our best idea.
- Some decisions need sleepovers:
Some decisions need sleepovers — that is why it is thought-wise to sometimes say, "I can't figure it out now, kindly give me some time to think about it."
You do not want to put yourself in difficult situations because you refuse to take some time to figure things out first. Spontaneous replies or actions often result in grave consequences.
As Abraham Lincoln put it, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." That is exactly what the 5-second rule suggests you do: speak or act too quickly and remove all doubt! Lincoln's quote is true when acting as it is when speaking.
- The rule is not the best way to tackle procrastination:
There are different ways to tackle procrastination. This rule should not be at the top of that list. That is if it should be on the list and it comes with a big "IF".
Some excellent ways of combating procrastination are avoiding distractions, arranging tasks into easy steps, staying focused on the end product of the task you are contemplating putting off, etc.
You would observe they are all practical approaches; but, none of them is like a gimmick. The only trick there — if there is any — is your decision to follow through.
- The rule supports irrational decisions:
I believe you are reading this logically, no idea is imposed. So far, you would have observed the 5-second rule supports irrational decisions. Irrational decisions are decisions taken without considering all the angles in a matter.
Irrational decisions fuel irrational behaviors! That is the summary of this point.
- The rule is subjective:
This rule should not even be considered a rule in the first place. For anything to be considered a rule, it should work for a vast group of people or things. I have heard how it failed many people. This implies, it works for some and fails for others. Would you consider that a rule?
- What happens in the case of a team decision?
Let's leave the individual point of view. What happens at a board meeting while we are deliberating on a matter? Would you like to hear your boss say, "Everyone, it's time to do the countdown and go for one of these schemes"? That would probably be the joke of the year.
I can tell you would tag her as "incompetent" because she is relying on tricks for decision-making.
Talking about decision-making, I believe you must have made the commendable decision by now, which is taking the 5-second rule for what it is: a myth! I commend you on that decision.
By Murphy Irehovbude.