5-Hour Rule: If you’re not spending 5 hours per week learning, you’re being irresponsible (2024)

FAQs

5-Hour Rule: If you’re not spending 5 hours per week learning, you’re being irresponsible? ›

What is the 5-Hour Rule? In short, the 5-Hour rule is a very simple rule that means dedicating at least five hours per week (one hour per day, during the weekday) to developing a new skill or learning something new, something that helps you meet (or get closer to meeting) one or more of your smart goals.

The 5 hour rule is almost hilariously simple. It was coined by Michael Simmons, an entrepreneur and journalist. It suggests that no matter how busy successful people are, they will spend at least an hour a day — or 5 hours a work week — learning or practicing.

Spend at least an hour a day, every weekday, in "deliberate learning," reflecting, and thinking. Simmons concluded that the five-hour rule reflected what he saw over and over again in those who had achieved success in various forms: The smartest and most successful people are consistent and deliberate learners.

One of the key findings that comes up again and again is known as the “5-hour rule.” In short, this is the rule where we spend one hour a day learning, reflecting, and thinking. We do this five times a week (which makes up the “5-hour” rule).

The 5-hour rule is about devoting one hour a day, five days a week, to learning something new. Successful people like Oprah, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Elon Musk all allegedly follow it.

The 5-hour rule is a concept that advocates dedicating at least five hours a week to deliberate learning and skill development. This encompasses activities such as reading, reflective thinking, experimentation, and goal-setting.

The five-hour rule is a process first implemented by Benjamin Franklin for constant and deliberate learning. It involves spending one hour a day or five hours a week learning, reflecting and experimenting.

You may be tempted to hunker down and study for several hours straight, but that's a quick way to lose motivation. Your body and brain need breaks, so take 10 minutes or so to refresh yourself every hour.

The general rule of thumb regarding college studying is, that for each class, students should spend approximately 2-3 hours of study time for each hour that they spend in class. Non-science courses: For every 1 unit you are enrolled, you are recommended to spend approximately two hours outside of class studying.

Time Management

How much time should you be studying per week? Research suggests that students should spend approximately 2-3 hours, per credit hour, studying in order to be successful in their courses. STEM classes often require 3-4 hours, per credit hour, of studying to be successful.

Why constant learners embrace the 5-hour rule? ›

There is a reason why constant learners all embrace the 5-hour rule. The objective of continuous learning and improvement has been known to enhance your productivity and self-development.

Some examples of successful people who practice the 5-hour rule include Bill Gates, who reads for one hour every night, and Warren Buffett, who spends up to six hours a day reading.

No doubt by now if you're looking to master a skill or learn something new, you've heard of Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000 Rule. Made popular by Gladwell's book, Outliers: The Story of Success, the principle states that in order to become world class in any field, you need 10,000 hours of deliberate practice.

A 70/30 portfolio is an investment portfolio where 70% of investment capital is allocated to stocks and 30% to fixed-income securities, primarily bonds.

Warren Buffett once said, “The first rule of an investment is don't lose [money]. And the second rule of an investment is don't forget the first rule. And that's all the rules there are.”

“I get quite a bit of sleep. I like to sleep,” Buffett said in a widely quoted 2017 interview with PBS NewsHour. “I will usually sleep eight hours a night, and that—no, I have no desire to get to work at four in the morning.”

The 20-Hour Rule suggests that it takes approximately 20 hours of deliberate and focused practice to become reasonably competent in a new skill. While 20 hours may not make you an expert, it's enough to become proficient and confident in the basics of a new skill.

Many of these leaders, despite being extremely busy, set aside at least an hour a day (or five hours a week) over their entire career for activities that could be classified as deliberate practice or learning. I call this phenomenon the 5-hour rule.

To keep students engaged, you must win the battle for their attention every 10 minutes. I call this the 10-minute rule. Every 10 minutes I use what I call a “hook” to refocus my audience on my topic or message. I also organize my material in a hierarchical fashion, because that is how the brain processes information.