Two weeks into the new year, this is usually a pretty standard time for resolutions to slip. Exercise becomes less frequent (especially with UK gyms closed), takeaways become more tempting, and time for reading and relaxing seems to just disappear...
None of this is new, at least not to me, and I often treat new habits a little like lottery tickets; if I start enough of them, maybe one will eventually be a winner. A standard excuse, especially during my teenage years, was the classic 'I can't be bothered'. I'd decide something would be good for me, but pretty soon my sense of motivation and drive would disappear, as would my newly started habit or behaviour.
Now, I tend to write lots of articles about motivation and motivators (i.e. what sort of activities/values spur you on), but that of course isn't the whole picture. Indeed, through a mix of university assignments, running therapy groups, and experimentation, there is pretty good evidence that for some tasks, finding motivation may not even be worth it.
Starting with the boring academic stuff, there's a bunch of research out there on motivation, inspiration, and drive. However, what is less boring is that the findings often seem... counter-intuitive? Our society is pretty keen to tell us that we need motivation to do things, and until that motivation appears to sit back, eat branded products, binge watch shows full of product placement, and spend some time on 'self-care' (it won't be a surprise for me to say that I don't think what society/advertisers call self-care is actually self-care at all). Contrary to this however, the evidence base says something completely different.
Behaviour precedes motivation. Action precedes drive. Writing something even precedes inspiration to write (hence I'm writing now in the hopes more inspiration will appear)!
Studies have found that people who wait for motivation and inspiration don't tend to get much of it, but people who get going often end up feeling those drivers after just a few minutes. Thankfully, this is pretty easy to incorporate ourselves in day to day life, and the best tool for doing so is the 'Five Minute Rule'.
The Five Minute Rule
The five minute rule is super simple. If motivation is low, and you are like me and 'can't be bothered', just do five minutes. Five minutes of reading. Five minutes of cleaning. Five minutes of stretching. Five minutes of whatever you want motivation for. You can plan to stop after five minutes, and it is 100% okay if you do! You've already done five minutes more than you were going to, so it is still worth celebrating!
The idea here is simple. Do the thing, feel the thing. Waiting to feel good is tricky, especially when (as we all know) sitting around bored or procrastinating rarely leads to feeling energised. Instead, giving yourself an easy and accessible entry-route into doing something often gets the ball rolling; after five minutes, I rarely want to stop as it feels easy to just keep doing what I'm doing!
Whether you are trying to write a blog that nobody will read (hahaha... haha... ha... hm), start a new habit for your health, or do things for other people, try five minutes. It can get things moving, and also boost mood a lot; staying active (not just in an exercise sense) does a lot to fend off low mood and make us feel good about ourselves, so whatever you try will likely be productive and good for your mental health.
My five minute walk this morning ended up being eighty minutes and full of sunlight, so you never know how it'll go until you try!
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