5 Minutes To A Happy New Year
The Trap of “Just One More” and Doing Teshuvah | WATCH
The “just one” trap - one message, one clip, one bite - sabotages focus and fuels procrastination. Here's how small distractions snowball, why procrastination isn’t laziness, and a 5-minute rule and practical steps to break free before Yom Kippur.
Have you ever said, ‘I’ll just check one message… just one clip… just one bite’? Yeah, that’s the most dangerous lie we tell ourselves. The Trap of ‘Just One.’
I once asked a student, “Why didn’t you get to bed on time?” He said, “I was about to… but then I saw just one funny video.” Another told me, “I started cleaning under my bed.” Another, “I reorganized my phone files.”
I’ve worked with boys in Lev Aharon for years, and their number one problem isn’t focus tricks, speed reading, or memory hacks. It’s sleep. They want to sleep, but first, just one video game, just one snack, just one text.
But here’s the truth: we’re all just big high-school kids trying to finish our own homework before Rosh Hashanah, aka Teshuva.
Procrastination isn’t laziness. Lazy means you don’t want to work. Procrastination means you’ll do literally everything else except the one thing you need to do.
Students don’t skip homework because they hate work. They skip because “just one” seems harmless, one song, one scroll, one schmooze. But one small taste flips a switch. The Ramban in Nitzavim calls it: “L’maan s’fot haravah et hatzme’ah,” taste a little, and suddenly you’re starving.
That’s why the Yetzer Hara works like the midnight fridge raid:
You say, “I’ll just take one bite.” Next thing you know, it’s 2am, you’re halfway through a tub of ice cream, holding a pickle, wondering where your life went wrong. That’s not hunger. That’s the trap of “just one.”
But - once you whet the appetite, a want becomes a need. Free choice starts slipping. It’s not laziness, it’s momentum in the wrong direction.
As Tony Robbins says: “The path to success is massive, determined action.” But let’s be real, sometimes massive feels impossible. That’s why I teach the 5-Minute Rule: just start for five minutes. Once you begin, you almost never stop.
Selfie Steps (Action Plan):
1. The 5-Minute Rule: Start for five minutes. If it’s unbearable, you can quit. Spoiler: you won’t.
2. Do the Hardest First: Knock it out before distractions multiply.
3. Plan Ahead: Ten minutes of planning saves hours of wandering.
4. Accountability Buddy: Find someone who won’t buy your excuses.
5. Deadlines: Because tomorrow isn’t a plan, it’s a trap.
So remember: the Trap of ‘Just One’ is the oldest lie in the book. Beat it with one simple truth: just start. Five minutes. That’s it. And suddenly, your homework, your sleep, your Teshuva, gets done.