5-Minute Actions | Take Action and Be More Consistent With This Simple Healthy Habit
Having goals is a great starting point, however, the real magic is in taking ✨ACTION✨ and doing so consistently!
I know you’re here because you’ve got big goals you want to reach; but sometimes taking action can feel really daunting to tackle when life, itself, feels extremely overwhelming.
As humans, consistency is more complex than creating a habit tracker and telling yourself: “just show up”.
We get sick or experience injury
Our work schedules shift
We experience loss and need time for grieving
We get overwhelmed and stressed
We experience financial stress and socioeconomic limitations
Life gets busy and other things take more priority
I get it! It’s not always as simple as “just showing up”.
And when life ebbs and flows, as it does, we can’t rely on motivation to get us by.
Sometimes, taking action requires us to take smaller actions.
“But I feel like I’m cheating if I don’t give it my all”
Have you ever found yourself avoiding taking action because you felt like you didn’t have enough time or energy to give it your all?
Maybe you felt like you didn’t have enough time for a hardcore workout.
Or didn’t have the financial flexibility to buy all of the organic ingredients.
So you skipped it altogether, hoping tomorrow will be a better day.
Gentle Reminder: Any action is better than no action. Progress doesn’t develop by giving it your all and only showing up when you are feeling your best; it’s built by how consistently you show up.
Imagine trying to blow up a balloon: When you use long, full breaths with all of your might, you may find yourself feeling light-headed and out of breath; needing to take longer breaks, and even risking deflating your balloon and having to start from the beginning. But when you take short, consistent breaths, your balloon is blown up in no time.
Taking 5-Minute Actions
The objective of practicing 5-Minute Actions is to break down big tasks into smaller, more manageable action steps that take 5-minutes or less to complete. This is one of the most effective ways to take action and stay consistent when motivation has depleted.
Taking action feels less daunting and more approachable
As you begin to take action, you begin to build confidence and maintain momentum
These small action steps build up into larger results or outcomes
How To Practice 5-Minute Actions:
Pick a goal or healthy habit you’d like to complete
Remind yourself WHY completing this goal or habit is important
Imagine a timeline and brainstorm all possible sub-tasks or mini actions that need to be completed to lead up to this goal or healthy habit
Write a list of sub-tasks or mini actions that take 5-minutes or less to complete and build on each other to lead you to your goal or healthy habit
Below, I’ll share some examples.
Example 1: Workout at 5 am before work
Pick a goal or healthy habit you’d like to complete
Goal: Workout at 5 am before work
Remind yourself WHY completing this goal or habit is important
“I want to feel physically and emotionally better about my health & my body - and exercise is one of the few things in the equation I do have full control over. I don’t feel like working out right now, but I know I always feel better each time I finish my workout”.
Imagine a timeline and brainstorm all possible sub-tasks or mini actions that need to be completed to lead up to this goal or healthy habit
Some sub-tasks or mini actions leading up to a 5-am workout include:
Waking up on time
Brushing my teeth
Getting dressed
Taking my pre-workout
Driving to the gym
Write a list of sub-tasks or mini actions that take 5-minutes or less to complete and build on each other to lead you to your goal or healthy habit
4:15 am - Wake up from the alarm
4:20 am - Use the bathroom
4:25 am - Brush your teeth
4:30 am - Pick out a workout outfit and get dressed
4:35 am - Fill your bottle with water
4:40 am - Grab your gym bag and put it in the car
4:45 am - Turn on your car and drive to the gym
4:55 am - Take your pre-workout shot in the car
5:00 am - Walk into the gym, tie your hair, and put your bag in a locker
5:05 am - Walk on the treadmill or dynamic stretch for 5-minutes
Now you’re ready for a workout!
Example 2: Pack A Healthy Work Lunch
Pick a goal or healthy habit you’d like to complete
Goal: Pack a healthy work lunch
Remind yourself WHY completing this goal or habit is important
“I’ve been ordering takeout a lot lately. While it’s okay in moderation, it’s beginning to become a daily habit that doesn’t directly align with my goal to lose 15 lbs. While ordering a sub from Subway is still a pretty good option, I can make it better (taste, nutritionally, & calorically) by making it at home”.
Imagine a timeline and brainstorm all possible sub-tasks or mini actions that need to be completed to lead up to this goal or healthy habit
Some sub-tasks or mini-actions leading up to preparing a healthy lunch for work include:
Selecting a quick & simple recipe
Pulling out all ingredients from the fridge & pantry
Prepping all of your ingredients
Cooking & Assembling
Packaging your meal prep
Filling your lunch box
Write a list of sub-tasks or mini actions that take 5-minutes or less to complete and build on each other to lead you to your goal or healthy habit
6:00 am - Pick a healthy recipe (for the purpose of this example, let’s make a sandwich and assume you have all of the ingredients because you did a grocery shopping trip this weekend)
6:05 am - Walk to the kitchen and take all of your ingredients out of the fridge & pantry, including your ciabatta bread, lettuce, cheese, deli meats, and condiments
6:10 am - Cut open the ciabatta bread and spread it on your condiment. Layer all of your favorite ingredients and toppings and close your sandwich
6:15 am - Package your sandwich in a sandwich bag and place it in your lunch box
6:20 am - Fill your lunch box with other goodies as snacks, like cheese strings, whole fruit, crackers, etc.
6:30 am - Fill your water bottle and place it in your lunch box
Now your lunch is packed for the long work day ahead!
