The 5 Second Rule

The 5 Second Rule:

Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence With Everyday Courage

| Author: Mel Robbins, 2017 |

What's it all About?

For all those moments when you may have been struggling with why you didn’t just do that thing you wanted to do, this may be a good read for you!

In this book, ‘The 5 Second Rule’, Mel Robbins tells her personal story, combined with the great stories of others, on HOW to make yourself do those things you are not doing. There are no mind-blowing concepts here, just some good advice and true stories on how others were able to get past some roadblocks in their own lives.
Sure, you could read the summary on Amazon and have the basics of it, but I personally benefited listening to the audio, and taking some time to process what I am doing or NOT doing.

The whole concept is based on taking action. Whether it’s a big idea, or something as simple as just getting out of bed, count down 5-4-3-2-1 and do it! Yep, just spoiled it for you. Well not really, it gets a little more specific breaking it down:

Become confident
Break the habit of procrastination and self-doubt
Beat fear and uncertainty
Stop worrying and feel happier
Share your ideas with courage

You can also check out Mel’s Ted Talk, which 8 million people viewed, to see if you want to go deeper with it.

Favourite Quote

'I was the problem and in five seconds, I could push myself and become the solution.'

Biggest Takeaway

I walked away with some greater insights into why I think a certain way, and how my mind and my feelings work around that. Such as checking in on my self doubt - noticing it, and then saying goodbye with a countdown, then executing on my actions. I also gained an understanding of how we create our own drama. One thing I have gotten better at since reading this is the anxiety I would experience if I had not heard from someone. Worrying if they have gotten in a car accident because they are late, is not going to help anyone. Keeping a positive mindset and understanding simple things may make a person late, is a lot better than creating a negative vision! This has really helped me, and I started practicing it after I read the book. Thanks Mel Robbins!

Reviewed by: Trevor Blondeel, 2019

Mindfulness Manufacturing

Our show is about providing listeners with real stories that come from a place of experience, transparency, and authenticity. Most importantly it’s about what we learn from these stories and applying Mindfulness in our everyday work and personal lives.
Our intention is to create an environment where people can learn through open honest discussions on how we apply Mindfulness. Although our experiences and stories come from time in a manufacturing environment hence the title “Mindfulness Manufacturing”, we still see our discussions and topics relatable to any organization or profession.

When a mistake occurs on the plant floor, your mind might jump to one question: who caused this issue, and should I write them up for their mistake? But there’s a more productive approach you could be taking—and in this episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing, guest Dr. Jake Mazulewicz breaks it all down!

With a background as a firefighter, EMT, and military paratrooper, Jake knows the challenges of high-hazard industries, and works with organizations to reduce errors and create safer, more reliable workplace environments. In this episode, Jake shares why you can’t procedularize everything, including the way you handle errors and accidents, and offers great insights and stories about how to use connection and curiosity to improve safety, address errors, and strengthen your organization.

3:35 – Procedures and policies are the work that is imagined, and on the floor is how the work actually gets done

4:19 – The work as-done is almost always radically different than the work as-imagined

5:20 – Even when you have standards and people show up wanting to do a good job, you can still see issues that need to be addressed

6:44 – There will always be areas that absolutely need to have procedures in place

8:02 – There are also adaptive jobs, which leans less into procedures and more intro troubleshooting and tacit human knowledge

10:56 – In an ideal environment, both mechanistic and adaptive models are used and respected and needed

12:11 – There are four levels, ranging from strict procedurals to looser guidelines that show what to do, but not how to do it

15:36 – Tacit knowledge gets shared through conversations

16:22 – A way to share important information is to have frontline experts record videos sharing their insights to problems, especially those that are not covered in procedures

19:44 – Through conversation and connection, more knowledge is shared

21:58 – Debriefing also plays a central role

23:45 – If you have strong discipline, you’ll find more freedom

25:31 – In most situations, errors are signals, not defects

27:07 – When an error occurs, be curious and find the deeper cause of the problem

Connect with Jake Mazulewicz

Find him on Linkedin

Visit his website