The 5-hour rule that the world's most famous people follow.. Get to know it

You just came home at the end of a stressful day at work.

You're hungry and tired, and you just want to catch your breath.

You take something to eat and then you sit in front of the TV.

After some time you realize that you just watched 5 episodes of the latest show on Netflix.

Sometimes that can be a good thing, we all need ways to de-stress and take a break from work, but it's not a healthy habit, so the world's most successful people spend their free time learning.

The Entrepreneur website published a report confirming that the most successful people on the planet devote an hour a day to reading and learning.

And it's not a secret, he says. During his 5-year study of more than 200 self-made millionaires, Thomas Corley found that they don't watch TV.

Instead, 86% of them said they read, but not just for fun, and 63% of those surveyed indicated that they listen to audiobooks on their morning commute.

Psychologist Chaunesse Maddox wrote, "It's no secret that successful people read. The average millionaire is said to read two or more books a month."

Accordingly, she suggests everyone “read blogs, news sites, fiction and non-fiction during the time they are out of work so they can get more knowledge” and if you're on the go, listen to audiobooks or podcasts.

You might say: Who has time to sit down and read?

Between work and family it is almost impossible to find free time.

As an entrepreneur and as a father, I understand that to some extent.

But if Barack Obama can find time to read while in the White House, what is your excuse?

He even credits the books with his success in coming out of his presidency fine.

President Obama is not the only leader who attributes his success to reading, as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Mark Cuban and Jack Ma are also voracious readers.

Gates told the New York Times that reading "is one of the main ways I learn, and it has been since I was a kid."

We may wonder how they find time to read every day?

The answer is that they adhere to the five-hour rule.

Five hour rule

Michael Simmons, founder of Impact, developed the five-hour rule that he has written about extensively.

It is based on the very simple concept that no matter how busy successful people are, they always spend at least an hour a day - or 5 hours a week - learning or training, and they do so throughout their careers.

Simmons traces the origin of this phenomenon back to Ben Franklin, who constantly made time to learn.

Franklin generally did this in the morning, got up early to read and write, and set personal goals and tracked his results. In the spirit of today's book clubs, he created a club of craftsmen and merchants, where they met to pursue self-development, and Franklin was experimenting with his new information and asking questions that stimulated reflection. Every morning and evening.

Three Rule Activities

Today's successful leaders have embraced Franklin's Five Hour Rule by dividing the rule into 3 activities:

Read:

Self-made millionaires, including Mark Cuban and Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, read between 1 and 3 hours a day.

Elon Musk learned how to build rockets, which led him to develop the SpaceX project through reading.

Besides expanding your knowledge, Ali Baba co-founder Jack Ma says, “Reading can give you a head start, which your peers often can't get. Compared to others, readers are more likely to know the strategies and tactics of other industries. ".

Even if you can't commit to an hour or more of reading each day, start with 20 to 30 minutes.

And I always have a book with me, so when I'm waiting to start a meeting or in the waiting room at the doctor's office, I can read instead of wasting time on my smartphone.

You can also try audiobooks on your daily commute or while exercising.

Meditation:

The five hour rule activities also include reflection and meditation.

It might be just staring at a wall or writing down your thoughts.

For example, founder of Spanx Sara Blakely is a journalist who has been practicing journalism for many years.

Focusing on the past gives you a chance to learn from the mistakes you've made before, as well as assess what you did right.

As a result, you will be more qualified to achieve your goals and improve your life.

A 2014 University of Texas study found that mental rest and reflection improve learning skills.

But I advise you to start with small steps, set aside 5 or 10 minutes a day, and then increase the time gradually so that you do not feel overwhelmed.

Know what questions you want to ask.

Stick to just two or three questions.

For example, if you attend a conference, ask: “What are the main points?” and “How can I apply this to my work?”

Try:

The third and final activity is the quick experiment.

Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison became leading inventors and thinkers because of their experiences, and we now have Gmail because Google allowed employees to experiment with new ideas.

And the reason experiments are so useful is: You're dealing with facts, not assumptions, and experiments enable you to see what worked out what worked, so you can learn from your mistakes and get the opinions of others.

And best of all, the experience doesn't take long.

Most of the time, you take a test through the same activities that you do without a test.

Jack Ma even recommends applying the knowledge you've learned to a real-life scenario.

For example, after reading a book about collaboration and teamwork, you could do a new volunteer job to use this knowledge.

When you make learning a habit, you are more likely to be more successful and productive in different areas of your life, and by investing in developing your reading habit, you can ensure that you and your company grow daily.