This week, Paola, Leslie, and Brittanny dive into Mel Robbins’ Five Second Rule and break down why it works through the lens of Applied Behavior Analysis. If you’ve ever struggled with procrastination, low motivation, decision fatigue, or the mental load of everyday life, this episode gives you actionable strategies you can start using today.

The hosts show how a simple countdown can interrupt hesitation, stop avoidance behaviors, and help you follow through on what matters most. They connect the 5-Second Rule to key ABA concepts like antecedent interventions, behavioral momentum, habit formation, self-management, and shaping small, achievable steps over time.

After listening to the episode, participants will be able to:

Identify how the 5-Second Rule functions as an antecedent intervention & describe its role in interrupting hesitation, avoidance, and rumination.
Explain the behavioral principles involved in the 5-Second Rule, including behavioral momentum, self-management, response initiation, and the role of private events.
Analyze how procrastination and avoidance behaviors are maintained by reinforcement and how the 5-Second Rule disrupts these contingencies.

References:

Monti, C., & Nevin, J. A. (1988). Operant schedule transformations and human behavioral momentum. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 49(3), 285–299.
Nevin, J. A., & Grace, R. C. (2000). Behavioral momentum and the law of effect. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23(1), 73–130.
Robbins, M. (2017). The 5 second rule: Transform your life, work, and confidence with everyday courage. Savio Republic.
Schieltz, K. M., Wacker, D. P., Ringdahl, J. E., & Berg, W. K. (2017). Basing assessment and treatment of problem behavior on behavioral momentum theory: Analyses of behavioral persistence. Behavioural Processes, 141, 75–84.
Wilder,D.A., Ertel,H.M., & Cymbal, D.J. (2020). A review of recent research on the manipulation of response effort in applied behavior analysis. Behavior Modification, 45(1), 101-118.

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