Last year, I was in a funk. I knew I needed to do something to move my life and career forward. Whenever life gets off track, ask

What were my habits when life worked best?

At the top of my list was ‘Waking up early in the morning to work out or have a power hour of reading.”

A year later, I am happy to report that I am back in the 5 AM club.

At the beginning of this year, I checked out Robin Sharma’s book The 5 AM Club, which preaches the benefits of getting an early start to the day.

It’s become such a habit that I rarely need to set an alarm anymore.

The 20|20|20 method

In the book, Sharma recommends the 20|20|20 method, which consists of

  • 20 minutes of exercise
  • 20 minutes of personal reflection
  • 20 minutes of reading or study.

I don’t follow this exact formula. I work out three to four mornings per week for at least 45 minutes to an hour. I write in my 5-minute journal and may read 5 to 10 pages of a personal development book.

No need to be perfect

Daylight Saving Time threw a monkey wrench into things, and I was having a hard

time adjusting, but I am up early more days than not. When I am on my menstrual cycle, I give myself grace and an extra hour of sleep to mitigate fatigue and allow my body to rest.

Developing a Morning Routine

One month after consistently getting up at 5 AM, I developed a morning routine that eliminates decision-making and reluctance to get started. It is so much easier to start when you don’t need to think about what to do.

Being part of the 5 AM club instilled discipline and helped me build a habit stack.

  • preparing for early-morning gym workouts the night before,
  • using the mornings for exercise,
  • developing a morning routine
  • preparing for the day ahead, and even doing a short 5-10-minute cleaning routine.

By getting an early start to the day, I don’t feel like I am starting the day behind.

Rising at 5 AM may not be for everyone, and so everyone should do what works best for them. I know people who stay up very late and can get more accomplished at 1 AM, but that never worked for me.

In my old Mastermind Group, we always talked about being “world-class”.  I forgot all about this phrase until I picked up The 5 AM Club. I have not been in alignment with “World Class” habits and values for a long, long time, and being part of the 5 AM Club was a great place to start.