The 5 minute rule for procrastination: how it works

The 5 minute rule is one sentence: agree to work on a task for five minutes, then decide whether to carry on. The rule asks for five minutes, not the whole task.

How to use it

1. Pick one task you have been putting off.
2. Choose the first step, and make it small enough to start now.
3. Set a timer for five minutes and begin.
4. When it ends, choose: stop, or set it again and carry on.

Both choices are fine. The rule separates starting from finishing, and the only promise is the first five minutes.

Three examples

• An email. Open the message and write the first two sentences of your reply.
• A form. Find the form and fill in the parts you already know, such as your name and address.
• A room. Pick one surface, such as the desk, and clear it.

Plan the five minutes

Before you start, say when, where and what: “At 6pm, at the kitchen bench, I open the form and fill in my details.” Studies of if-then plans like this find that people tend to follow through more often. A review of 94 tests, most with university students, found a medium-to-large effect (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006). Those studies tested planning, not the 5 minute rule.

The 2 minute rule is a different rule

The name “2 minute rule” covers two different rules. In his 2001 book on getting organised, David Allen says that if a task takes less than two minutes, you should do it right away. In his 2018 book Atomic Habits, James Clear says a new habit should take less than two minutes to do, so you shrink it until it does, such as reading one page instead of reading for half an hour. You can use the 5 minute rule on a task of any size, because it sets the time you commit to, whatever the task takes.

When five minutes is not enough

Some tasks take more than five minutes to set up, so the timer can end before the work itself begins. For those, pick a first step that fits in five minutes, such as collecting what you need, or set a longer timer. If the rule is not working for a task, try a different first step before you give up on it.

What the research says

We could not find a peer-reviewed study that tests the 5 minute rule, as of October 2026. The nearest research is on if-then plans, described above. For more ways to start, read how to stop procrastinating, or see how to set up a timer in the procrastination timer guide.

When this is more than a habit

If putting tasks off is affecting your sleep, your work or how you feel day to day, a GP, doctor or psychologist can help. In Australia, Beyond Blue is on 1300 22 4636.

If you're thinking about ending your life, or you're not safe right now, call 000 in Australia or 911 in the US. You can also call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or call or text 988 in the US, any time. Anywhere else, findahelpline.com lists free local lines.

Sources

1. Gollwitzer PM, Sheeran P (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: a meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 38: 69–119. doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1
2. Allen D (2001). Getting Things Done. New York: Viking. ISBN 9780670899241. openlibrary.org/isbn/9780670899241
3. Clear J (2018). Atomic Habits. New York: Avery. ISBN 9780735211292. openlibrary.org/isbn/9780735211292