Today, I want to discuss the 5AM Club philosophy.
This philosophy became popular in the book, The 5AM Club, by Robin Sharma, a fictional narrative about a billionaire who attributes his success to having learned a structured, early morning routine from his mentor, the Spellbinder.
In the book, the billionaire teaches this philosophy to an entrepreneur and an artist seeking a transformation in their life. It presents strategies and life lessons to improve discipline and peak performance. Key strategies, include the early wake up time and the 20/20/20 formula. This formula suggests dividing one’s first hour of the day into 20 minute intervals. 20 minutes of exercise, 20 minutes of reflection, and 20 minutes of learning.
So the philosophy itself is fantastic!
I wish most people would devote an hour of their day for self-development. Life would be brighter. But while it’s technically ficitional, there have been other self-help books written that highlight early wake up calls as, “the #1 habit of the successful,” like it’s some kind of end-all, be-all route to mastery. It seems to suggest that those of us who don’t make this practice work are falling short. Or that we all desire to be billionaires.
There are so many things I could blog about in the personal development realm, or regarding any other of my many interests, but some days I just don’t get that glimmer of an idea that sets me off. I’m betting if I stick with it throughout the year that will change. But today, while scrollin through X, and I came across a post from someone discussing “Morning Person Supremacy.” It stirred up some thoughts.
@DuckieLouise discusses that even when she has attempted to go to bed and get up earlier, she never acclimates to it because her body hates it. She goes on to explain that her creativity is affected with an early wake up, and that it tends to sap her overall energy.
I too have tried to wake up earlier, and I can do it when I need to. If I have a work event or an early training, I can rally myself and try my best to get to bed a little earlier. But I, like Duckie, know how I best function, and I will not be shamed!
I am a night person through and through. Always have been.
I recall being a young teenager and waking up 10 minutes before I had to get on the bus to savor those extra minutes in bed. I once worked a 5:30AM-1:30PM shift, but as time went on, I’d find myself coming home and needing an hour or two long nap. Because no matter what, I’d stay up until 1AM that night. My brain just never shut off until then. Reading helped. But even if I laid down early to read, I’d be up until midnight before finally dozing off. This hasn’t changed today.
It’s all about Energy Management.
Marie Forleo has discussed the 5AM rule with Robin Sharma, but she also points out that it’s about utilizing the 20/20/20 rule rather than any specific wake up time. I’m more aligned with the idea of general energy management, so this makes sense.
Energy management just refers to handling your most creative or demanding tasks during times that align with your natural circadian rhythm, whatever that may be. For instance, my perfect day would find me waking up closer to 8:30AM and having a leisurely start. And I’ve always felt like the time between 8AM-Midnight brings me the most creative flow. It’s like I get a second wind of energy during those hours. So that would be my high energy peak, and we are most focused when we can tap into our peak.
I love reading or listening to books on personal development, but it seems like we as humans love to complicate relatively simple processes. We turn them into full on philosophies. The majority of self-help books probably only need to be about 2 or 3 pages. In the end, all those colorful words and stories are only helpful if motivate us to take action.
I understand the point of the 5AM Club Philosophy, but I don’t believe it needs to be taken so literally. It’s more important that you’re just plain carving out a dedicated amount of time to concentrate on the changes or improvements you’d like to make in your life. And of course, you’ll want to be specific about what those changes or improvements are, so you’re not flailing around, wasting any special time you’ve set aside.
What’s your peak? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Until next time 🙂
