What is the 5-hour rule? Definition & Bucket List

The five-hour rule is a simple concept that was introduced by Micheal Simmons. It involves setting aside five hours a week or one hour each working day, only for practising and learning. 

Many great and successful people like Barack Obama, Warren Buffett, and Bill Gates spend their time reading books and learning new things inspired by their busy schedule. Why, what is the reason that the world's smartest people find one hour a day just for learning. When a normal person makes excuses about how busy he is!

The answer is quite simple, learning. Learning is considered as one of the biggest investments of time. That's why Five-Hour-Rule is an excellent approach to learning new skills and gain knowledge. This learning approach recommends setting some time each day for intentional learning.

The Three Buckets of the Five-Hour Rule 

This 5-hour rule is focused on deliberate learning. This learning can take different forms and a mix of these will provide you with the best-rounded experience. 

 Reading 

Many successful people follow the habits of reading. Always keep a book in your bag at all times and set yourself up with reading goals each week. Focus on reading a chapter in a day or a certain number of books each month. Bill Gates is focused on reading 50 books each year, crediting it as one of the main ways that he learns. 

In case, you are not able to read for an hour or more, start with 20-30 minutes. Audiobooks are also great options when you are stuck in your daily commute or during exercising. 

Reflection 

Reflection is one of the most important parts of learning that improves performance. It could be just starting at the wall or jotting down your thoughts. Also, when you focus on the past, it allows you to find out what you did correct and areas you need to bring enhancement. It could encompass thinking and making notes in a journal. 

Make sure to get some extra time in your calendar every day for reflection, even if it is just 10-15 minutes to start with. Know the question first, you want to ask. Initially, it is better to stick with just two or three questions focused on that specific day. 

Experimentation 

The third stage in 5-Hour-Rule, experimentation is important for complete growth. Set aside some time each week and test out new theories or ideas.  The main reason why experiments are so important is that here you have factors, not assumptions. Experiments show you what's working for you and what's not working. 

Some of the most successful people in the world have come up with the result of the experiment. It is a fact that innovation can never be possible if you keep doing the same things again and again. Even if your experiment is not successful, you will learn many valuable lessons. 

Jack Ma suggests people apply the knowledge they get from a real-life scenario. Like, after reading a book about teamwork and mutual support, try to take on new volunteer work to put that knowledge to use. 

When you actually make learning a habit, you are more likely to be productive and successful in different areas of your life. Here are three important things to you need to keep in mind while following this approach:

• When you go through motions it helps you in creating a memory. While reading the course material, don't copy everything instead just write down what you have just learned. 

• The purpose of this approach is to expand your knowledge. Pay attention to what piques your curiosity and if possible ask your metros when you feel stuck. 

• Just like a healthy diet and minimum physical activities, making learning a lifelong necessity. Keep challenging your mind to keep it sharp and active. 

Note: Many people confused it as working with learning. If you think that you are working 40 hours a week that is enough for you to see improvement in your personality and skills, you are taking it wrong. While working, you focus on resolving daily issues, you do not give yourself time to develop and flourish. This 5-Hour rule tells you to set specific learning goals and give yourself time to achieve them. 

Final Thoughts

Learning is the best investment of our time. When you begin, you might not see a return but when you make it a habit and set aside an hour of your working day for deliberate learning, you will learn new skills and gain knowledge that will benefit you in the long term. 

So that's all about 5-Hour-Rule. We hope this post will inspire to follow the Read, Reflect and Experiment rule and you will learn many new things.