The 5-Minute Rule

You're going about your day when suddenly a thought pops up: "I should reply to that text." "I need to book that appointment." "I should put these shoes away."

Here's what usually happens: you tell yourself you'll do it later and go back to what you were doing. But that task doesn't disappear. It lurks in your mental background, popping up again and again, each time stealing your peace.

The 5-Minute Rule is simple: The moment a task crosses your mind, if it takes less than 5 minutes, stop and do it immediately.

Every time you think of something and don't do it, you create a mental loop. That unpaid bill will pop into your head 20 times before you finally pay it. You'll spend more energy remembering it than doing it.

Your brain holds onto incomplete tasks. Every undone thing is like an open app draining your battery. One or two is fine. Fifty? You crash.

When the thought comes: "I should wash that dish," don't negotiate. Stand up. Wash it. Two minutes. Done.

When you remember, "I need to text Mom back," pick up your phone. Send it. Thirty seconds. Complete.

The Rule trains your brain: Notice. Assess. Act.

When you do the small thing immediately, it never becomes urgent, stressful, or guilty. You stop living in debt to your future self. You start each moment clean instead of cluttered.

The next time a task pops into your head, ask yourself: "Would this take less than 5 minutes?" If yes, do it now. Your mind is not a storage unit. The task you're avoiding isn't waiting for the perfect time – it's stealing from every moment until you do it.