The 5 AM Club: Own Your Morning, Elevate Your Life

Photo by Tetiana SHYSHKINA on Unsplash

It is widely known that many successful people around the world wake up early. Many like Elon Musk operate on very little sleep and start their days well before others. What makes for the most productive morning and what do those high performers do in the wee hours of the day?

Renowned author Robin Sharma in his book The 5 AM Club explains how building this daily habit into your routine can alter your life beyond that extra time you spend in the morning before starting work.

A 5 rule framework helps to set the stage here as we are taken through a story of sorts throughout the novel involving a cast of characters.

1. An addiction to distraction is the end of your creative production. Taking 1 hour before dawn each day enables you to prepare yourself for the day properly.
2. Excuses breed no genius. The weak will rationalize any way they can not implementing something hard. Small daily improvements over time will generate exponential results.
3. All change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end. With consistent practice, this 5 AM wake up call will become routine.
4. To have the results of the Top 5% of producers, you have do what 95% of people are unwilling to do. Some will call you crazy and that’s when you know you have found something.
5. When you feel like surrendering, continue. Persevere through.

These rules are followed by high achievers and they also share other things such as being hard to reach, intensely focused, and deliver real work. They do not endlessly multitask but rather focus on one singular activity often in a quiet environment.

Also part of this routine and instilling a strong mindset to wake up each day at 5 AM are habit forming truths that should be considered. Similar to James Clear’s philosophy outlined in Atomic Habits, high performers have discipline and consider these 5 scientific truths.

1. World class willpower isn’t an inborn strength, but a skill through relentless practice.
2. Personal discipline is a muscle. Creating conditions of hardship can build your natural power.
3. Recovery is necessary for expression of mastery.
4. Installing any great habit successfully follows a four-part pattern for automation of the routine.
5. Increasing self control in one area of your life will elevate all others.

So what does an hour of dedicated time from 5–6AM look like applying these principles? Sharma recommends a 20/20/20 method where the first 20 minutes are spent exercising, next 20 on your goals & dreams, and the last 20 learning.