We are about to kick off week 4 of post quarantine and I hope that things are going well. That you've been able to regain some normalcy to everyday life. And if you haven't, that's ok. There is so much going on in the world right now, both globally and locally, that having a whirlwind of emotions is understandable. So many of us are trying to rush back to normal, everyday things, yet so many of us don't know where to start. Or how. That feeling of being overwhelmed, the "how I am going to do all of this?" sinks in, and those emotions leave us more paralyzed, with more questions than answers. Which brings me to the 5 minute rule and how using it can help you establish good habits at getting on track and staying there.
Something that I have known for quite some time, yet didn't practice enough, was the 5 minute rule. We are all convinced that we are excellent multi-taskers, just ask us. In truth, we are very good at selective procrastination. We know what to do, we know what the hard stuff is, we may even have our daily lists - I know I do - yet when we start to work on things for the day, we inevitably select the easiest first, and become distracted by things like Facebook or Instagram. We are selectively choosing to use our 5 minutes on something not useful to ultimately distract us from things we know we should be doing. The question is why, why do we allow ourselves to knowingly, or unknowingly fall into these traps, on a rather consistent basis. The answer isn't always easy, and its going to be different for all of us. So let me explain the 5 minute rule to give you some insight as to how it should work -
We don't need to make grand, sweeping, changes in a day, in a week, or in a month. To have success in any area of life, we need consistency. That consistency starts with aloting 5 minutes a day to focus on 1 thing that is for you. Its something that you need to do to reach your goals. In as little as 5 minutes, you are creating a habit that will become central to your success.
What does the above look like?
I have a client who has the best of intentions to come to the gym 3 times a week, but more often that not, finds an excuse to only come twice. So everyday, she spends 5 minutes preparing what she needs to work out so when it comes time to go to the gym, her bag is packed, her post workout shake is made, and she is properly fueled. In the last 2 weeks, she has successfully made it to the gym, and had quality workouts, 3 times each week. The simple act of packing the right socks, workout top, water, etc, made her life simpler, and more freeing. That's right, she feels more freedom and less chaos, all due to the 5 minute rule.
Here's the thing - we are all going to:
- Get off track
- Get lost
- Have a setback
- Feel confused, frustrated or stuck
- Have competing commitments or other demands on our time
- Feel resistance or ambivalence
So what do we do? More importantly, what are you going to do?
Start with 5 minutes. A 5 minute action to get you back on track. Nothing fancy, just a simple action. Those 5 minutes add up, they help create lasting, systemic change. Its within you. Try it today and let us know how you're doing!
Stay strong,
Guy Petruzzelli
Www.ironflagfitness.com
Instagram- @guypetruzzelli
Www.ironstrongpodcast.com
