This 5-Minute Method Makes Motivation Irrelevant

TL;DR

• Start your day with Deep Work to reclaim control and build momentum.

• Daily reps turn high-leverage work into your new default, which compounds massively over time and shapes your identity.

• Systems beat willpower: connect to meaningful goals, design your environment, get an accountability buddy, and use rituals to automate starting.

We all seek inner peace.

But in today’s chaotic, fast-paced, and hyperstimulated world…

Most are caught in a cycle of distraction: feeling behind, and anxious.

You regret what you didn’t do yesterday.

You worry about whether you’ll have what it takes tomorrow, and your ability to create the life you want.

There’s always too much to do, never enough time.

The antidote is simple.

As I wrote in my last article (read here), you must reclaim control:

When you act instead of react…

You feel calm, focused, and proud—because you’ve honored what matters.

Your progress is guaranteed, no matter what happens later.

You can relax knowing there’s nothing else you should be doing.

And can be truly present in the moment.

Before we dive into the step-by-step how-to, understand this:

This is not just about having a more productive and enjoyable day.

It’s about something much more powerful…

Shaping Your Identity Through Daily Reps

When you start with your Most Important Task, you’re working smart and you’re writing a crucial self-narrative:

This meta-belief compounds into a virtuous cycle.

You take more action.

And more action leads to increased self-efficacy—or your belief that you can handle what life throws at you.

You might also notice yourself starting to prioritize things in other areas of your life, as well, because:

As your trust grows, hope is replaced by confidence.

You know it’s only a matter of time until you reach your goals.

As Tony Robbins says:

You act in ways that match your identity.

If you’re not a smoker, lighting up a cigarette won’t cross your mind.

If you’re someone who values deep work, skipping it feels unnatural.

Just like brushing your teeth, with repetition, it becomes automatic and feels natural.

Here’s a personal example.

Back in 2013, my fitness hit rock bottom.

My back was wrecked: I could barely walk.

My sleep was trash.

My bloodstream: 80% caffeine.

My workouts: inconsistent.

Then I decided to reinvent myself.

And now?

I am someone whose lifestyle is vitality.

Skipping workouts or binging junk just feels very uncomfortable—because it’s not who I am.

With each rep, you’re moving towards your goals and casting a vote for the person you want to be.

And once you start, something powerful kicks in that helps make it easier…

Compounding: Nature’s Most Powerful Law

Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe.

This applies to behavior as much as it does to money.

Daily action is the investment.

Progress is the interest.

Start small. Repeat daily.

Let time become your ally and do the heavy lifting for you.

When you don’t break consistency, each day’s gain builds on the previous.

Improving 1% daily is more than realistic.

And while 1% may sound trivial…

And each repetition gets easier because you get better.

Your neural circuits rewire to support your will.

And your results accelerate—especially when you do high-leverage work.

Here’s how it usually plays out:

Day 1: Resistance may win.

Day 2: You show up again.

Day 3: It’s a little easier.

Day 7: Resistance drops even further.

Day 14: It’s significantly easier to start and get into flow.

You start to look forward to it.

You’re now in momentum.

And soon, if you persist, it will feel uncomfortable not doing it.

Let’s talk about how to start…

The Habit-Building Blueprint

Before we dive into tactics, ask yourself:

Success is 80% mindset, and 20% strategy and tactics.

Don’t wing this. Block 10–20 minutes to set up.

Treat this as your initial hypothesis in an experiment to learn what works*.*

This is just your first draft, which you’ll refine over time.

Don’t aim for perfection.

Take time to lay the foundation, so you can go faster later.

What follows is my proven blueprint to fast-track habit building—refined through 12 years of personal experimentation and helping 200+ clients build positive habits.

Step 1: Anchor Your Deep Work to a Meaningful Goal

Start with your “why.”

Clarity will give you leverage over yourself.

More often than not, especially at the start, you won’t “feel like” doing the work.

But only amateurs get caught unprepared by this.

Write down the reasons why this matters—in vivid detail.

Make it visceral. Make it emotional:

1. How will this impact your life?

2. What about the people you love?

3. What’s at stake (the cost) if you don’t follow through?

By the way, if you don’t have a goal, your first goal should be to use this time to create one.

Step 2: Design Your Environment for 100% Concentration

If you don’t shape your environment, it will shape you.

Be proactive: design your environment to make focused, deep work easy.

• Silence notifications.

• Block distracting apps.

• Clear physical clutter.

• Prepare everything the night before.

You can use my detailed how-to guide (click here).

If don’t do this, it’s like walking with steaks through a pride of lions.

You're playing with fire.

Most distractions are highly predictable.

Don’t wait for them to interrupt you; systematize them away.

Perfect your system over time until you’re undistractable.

Step 3: Use Time Blocks and Clear Outcomes

Structure beats willpower.

Harness the power of mini-deadlines with time-boxing.

Parkinson’s Law states that:

Schedule a specific time block to make it real and add urgency.

Then, set a clear outcome for each session to sharpen your focus.

Ask: “What do I want to walk away with after this block?”

This ensures you’re going in the right direction.

Step 4: Start Small, Build Momentum

First, decide how much time you’ll carve out.

Start where you are. Even 15 minutes is enough.

Make a clear decision so you can begin.

As you build momentum, you’ll want to go longer.

Soon, you’ll hit 60–90 minutes, and eventually multiple deep work blocks per day.

Second, focus on starting. Not finishing it.

Sit down. Just open the doc. Write one sentence.

Caution: Focus on progress, not perfection.

Don’t attempt to do perfect work or finish everything in an all-out effort.

This can creates overwhelm.

The habit you’re training right now is to simply show up.

Build consistency before intensity.

Momentum before mastery.

Three tactics that make it ridiculously easy are**:**

1. Do a count-down out loud: Three… Two…

2. On “One!”, sit down and start a five-minute timer.

3. Push yourself to work for five minutes (or just stare at your work). When the five-minute timer goes off, you’re free to stop if you still don’t feel like it—but most likely you’ll want to keep going. Momentum creates motivation.

And if you choose to stop?

Don’t fret. Celebrate!

You’ve already accomplished your mission for the day.

You gained “one rep of getting started”.

Come back tomorrow.

It will have become a bit easier.

Step 5: Get an Accountability Partner

This is an underused power move.

We’re wired to keep promises to others, more than private ones to ourselves.

So leverage this.

According to a study by the American Society for Training & Development:

Public accountability works. Period.

I have multiple accountability partners and coaches—and it’s game-changing.

Most people avoid this because they don’t want to “bother” others or seem “weak”.

But it’s not weak—it’s smart. And it’s a win-win.

Sharing your growth journey makes it more fun and meaningful.

You get to learn from, inspire, and support each other.

In my next article, I’ll share the exact template I use to set up effective and bulletproof accountability agreements.

Until then, here’s how to get started today:

1. Pick someone you trust and respect.

2. Share your goal and your why. Ask for theirs.

3. Define the one action you’ll both commit to.

4. Set a recurring check-in time.

5. Agree on a consequence or reset action if one of you slips.

6. Text when the action is complete.

Your consistency will skyrocket.

This also builds trust and enriches your friendship.

Years from now, you’ll both look back fondly and say:

“This person helped me transform my life.”

Step 6: Ritualize Starting Triggers

Pick a start time—and stick to it.

Same wake-up. Same playlist. Same coffee.

Same simple steps leading you into deep work.

Remove any non-essentials.

They act as psychological triggers—priming your brain to enter execution mode.

Your body will move effortlessly, before the mind has a chance to overthink.

Like a pinball in a groove, rolling smoothly into the start.

In Atomic Habits, James Clear shares that implementation intentions can increase follow-through by 91%

Why? Because rituals send a clear signal:

“It’s time to begin.”

Michael Phelps did this better than anyone.

Before every race, he followed the exact same routine:

Same warm-up. Same suit. Same headphones. Same stretches.

Why?

So he didn’t have to think. He just slipped into a peak state—and won 28 Olympic medals.

Your ritual doesn’t need to be perfect. It needs to be yours.

Make it enjoyable. Simple. Repeatable. Something you look forward to.

Here’s mine:

1. Wake on first alarm. Smile.

2. 0.5L water.

3. Dress. Washroom.

4. 40 push-ups.

5. 5-minute gratitude journalling.

6. Sit. Start 5-minute timer. Say “Go time.”

7. Headphones on.

8. Text partner: “Started.”

9. Phone in Airplane Mode, in the other room.

10. Continue deep work, jamming to music.

At the 5-minute mark, I tell myself "great" job and take a sip of my electrolyte drink to reward myself for starting, so I can reinforce the habit.

You now have the blueprint—what matters most is that you start.

Next Steps

1. Comment below with your key takeaway.

2. Set up your Morning Deep Work Block.

3. Start tomorrow. Even 5 or 15 minutes is enough.

4. Share this article with someone you care about.

5. Subscribe for powerful, practical performance insights weekly.

Let’s be all we can be!

Ovi