Book Review: The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins

When the subtitle of a book states “Transform your life, work, and confidence with everyday courage”, I’m going to have high expectations. Author Mel Robbins pops up on my socials frequently, sharing motivational statements and sharing the wisdom that I assumed would be within this International Bestseller. Published in 2017, this book appears to have started a movement. What can “The 5 Second Rule” do, and does it live up to the hype? Read on where I share my book review.

The premise is simple, “If you can count 5-4-3-2-1 … you can have everything you want.” The blub on the back claims that 10 million people have discovered the simple secret to changing everything. I must confess, the book reads as if nearly all these people have been included as case studies! I am all for real-world examples to contextualize a theory or process, but if you removed the pages and pages of social proof and detailed examples of users of the method, you wouldn’t actually have a book left!  This book reads like a massive sales pitch for “The 5 Second Rule”; pages and pages of examples of what people have done with it, but very little (in my opinion) of grounding in the method itself. Motivational quotes open each of the 5 parts, but it left me feeling disenchanted and frustrated.  I get it that books are a great sales tool for people, to build their credibility and enable millions to access their insight, but this just feels like an everlasting sales page.

There are glimmers of hope across the 239 pages; brief introductions into the science of why The 5 Second Rule works. But ultimately it boils down to “Just FDI”. The book fails to recognize neurodiversity and different ways of thinking, and I feel it oversimplifies the very real things that stop people from doing what they need.

For the first time in a long time, you aren’t going to get Clara’s Cliff Notes. You may notice that there is no hyperlink to the book either. Because, maybe against my better judgment (as I am sure I will be criticized by those that love this book), I’m not going to recommend that you read this. What I am going to say, controversially, if you wish to make some changes in your life, do these two things instead.

1. Watch her TEDx Talk

You get an overall view of the method, in a lot less time!  Mel Robbins is an extremely charismatic and engaging speaker, and this 20 minutes video will give you the best bits of the book.

2. Read another book instead

If you are interested in learning about habits, then you need to read Atomic Habits by James Clear. It goes a lot deeper into the why you do (and don’t do things), with a real deep dive into the science behind the why, and real-life applications of the techniques.

What do you think about” The 5 Second Rule”? Have you read it and it’s changed your life? Or do we feel the same way? Come along to Creating Careers to Enjoy and share your views.

If you would like to read some of my other reviews and recommendations, you can find them here.