A report published by the team behind the Blinkist app sheds light on what is known as the “five-hour rule,” a habit based on setting aside one hour a day, five days a week, for learning, reading and thinking, away from the pressures of work and meetings.
The report links this habit to a number of globally known figures, including Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey and Bill Gates.
The basic idea is simple: making learning a fixed part of the daily routine, rather than treating it as an activity postponed until time becomes available.
A 30-day experiment
The article’s author tested this rule for 30 days using the Blinkist app, which offers summaries of non-fiction books in both text and audio formats.
According to the article, the short summaries helped make use of commuting time, walking, and coffee-making moments to take in new ideas.
These periods also became a substitute for time that used to be spent browsing social media.
According to the text, the app includes more than 9,000 titles spread across 27 categories, including management, entrepreneurship, leadership and personal development.
Blinkist also says its user base exceeds 43 million people worldwide.
Audio makes learning easier
One of the most notable observations from the experiment was that audio content made sticking to the learning habit much easier.
Instead of setting aside extra hours, the author was able to listen while commuting or walking.
The report notes that around 70% of Blinkist users prefer listening to content rather than reading it.
The summaries also helped the author decide which books were worth buying in full, instead of purchasing many books and never finishing them.
Learning as a daily habit
After about 25 days, opening the app had become an automatic habit for the author. By the end of the month, he concluded that the essence of the “five-hour rule” does not depend on having a lot of free time, but on giving learning a fixed place within the day.
The main takeaway from the experiment is that continuous learning can start with just a few minutes spread throughout the day, as long as they are turned into a regular habit instead of waiting for the ideal moment.
