How many times have you heard someone say, “I would but I just don’t have time”. Our time seems to fly by each day. Our society seems to equate speed with success. If we are moving fast, then we must be doing something right. It seems impossible to ask for five hours out of the week to pursue knowledge.
We all have the same amount of hours in the day. Most people sleep eight, work eight to ten and that leaves roughly six to do life. Thomas Corley did a five year long study on self made millionaires. He found that they share some common habits. Michael Simmons the founder of Empact then coined the concept into the Five Hour Rule.
The concept is very basic. The idea is to spend a minimum of one hour per day consciously learning. This is believed to be the secret sauce to success. The theory is credited to the lifestyle of Benjamin Franklin. He dedicated time each day to learning. He had no formal education after the age of 10 but became a legend. Harvard and Yale both granted him honorary Masters Degrees.
Most agree the five hour rule can be broken into three parts: Reading, Reflecting and Experimenting.Thomas Corley, the author of “Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits Of Wealthy Individuals” states, “ these habits are like snowflakes — they build up, and then you have an avalanche of success’.
It seems that true productivity comes out of quiet time. That quiet time then fuels actions and allows laser focus. The old concept of working smarter not harder. Arguably some of the busiest people in the world find the time to follow this rule. People like Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Mark Cuban and Jack Ma value this time as a non negotiable. Time can be carved out on the commute to work, on your lunch break, by starting your day 30 minutes earlier, or while you walk the dog. This investment in yourself will change your life.
The first segment of the five hour rule, Reading, is arguably the premier tool for learning without risk. Audiobooks can be substituted or even podcasts. The old adage of use it or lose it holds true. Dr. Merzenich, a leading researcher in brain plasticity, explains, “your brain is designed and constructed to be stimulated and challenged, and to carefully examine, resolve and interpret your environment and if you don’t sufficiently challenge your brain with new, surprising information, it eventually begins to deteriorate”. This explains why we could recite 50 phone numbers in our youth and now need a reminder for a task, appointment or directions to a familiar place. We must use our brain and challenge it. Learning new things is of utmost importance.
Reflection is how we frame our world and process what we have learned. Our phone driven society has grossly limited our time for reflection and contributed to us sleepwalking through the day. It now has to be a conscious decision to have quiet time. That quiet time is invaluable. It is the space where we gain knowledge from what we have learned. Benjamin Franklin said, I didn’t fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong. Through reflection we process our failures into valuable knowledge. Journaling is a great way to reflect and breed gratitude.Each day is full of lessons. We only have to take the time to process them.
Experimenting is the final portion of the rule. You take what you have learned out into a real life situation. Seek to read and discover knowledge that you can use. For example, if you read a book about relationships. Take that knowledge and apply to your relationships. Experiment with things that have small risks. Keep building and soon you have your avalanche. Experimenting solidifies our mastery of the skill. The more things we master, the more our brain seeks knowledge to master. Like any habit, seeking knowledge then becomes a part of your lifestyle.
It is simple to start. Pick the time in your day when you can carve out a few minutes to read. Commit to give yourself time in quiet solitude. Process the day or journal. Try new things and practice the old in different ways. If you choose to invest an hour a day with yourself the rewards will be immeasurable. The only thing important is to be consistent. The most successful people in the world understand that the five hour rule is a brain hack that unlocks limitless potential. We are only just beginning to understand the power of our brains. Yours may have invaluable solutions just waiting to be sparked. Let’s seek to feed our brains everyday as we feed our bodies. The fuel our brains crave is new information. We do all have time. In fact, we don’t have time not to start now. Our avalanches of success are waiting.
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