Motivation is a Lie — Try This Instead

The Tiny Rule That Shifted My Productivity Overnight.

Hi friends,

Let me tell you something I never thought I’d admit publicly:

• There was a time not too long ago when I’d hit snooze five times in a row,

• even when I had something exciting to do that day.

It wasn’t laziness. It wasn’t burnout. It was hesitation.

That quiet, invisible moment where you think, “I should get up,” and your brain — almost reflexively — replies, “Maybe later.”

The Moment That Changed My Thinking

One night, while browsing YouTube motivation videos (don’t judge), I stumbled upon a talk by Mel Robbins.

Nothing flashy. No hype. Just one raw statement that sliced through all the fluff:

“You’re never going to feel like it.”

She was talking about how we wait to feel ready, confident, and energized when, in reality, those feelings rarely come before the action. They show up after.

It clicked. She wasn’t preaching motivation.

She was giving us a tool to bypass our brain’s resistance.

The 5 Second Rule

Here’s the rule she created to fight her paralysis:

🔒 The rest of this post is for paid subscribers. In the complete edition, I’ll share:

• My 5-day mini challenge using the rule (and what happened)

• What neuroscience says about hesitation

• Why motivation follows action, not the other way around

👉 Upgrade to the paid subscription to unlock the full post and get weekly deep dives like this one.