Book Review: 5 AM Club by: Robin Sharma
“Take excellent care of the front end of your day, and the rest of your day will pretty much take care of itself. ... ”
The 5 AM Club
The 5 AM Club, by Robin Sharma tells the story of an artist, an entrepreneur, and a billionaire tycoon to help explain the benefits of rising early every morning. It’s fictional book, set in the modern world, filled with a ton of knowledge and productivity hacks on business, life and entrepreneurship. It’s a book I believe everyone should read, as it’s not always about working super hard, but more so focused on living a life of balance, productivity, and relishing in the motivational successes and precedents set forth in the modern world.
It’s been one of my favorite books as of late, and something I really believe in now after reading it….I’m not sure I could ever go back to the old way of living my life, and the book had a profound impact on me, even though I know it’s a fictional book.
The book isn’t the first to think of waking up early. Many great thinkers, artists, and public figures have used an early morning routine as part of their success. It’s been documented tons of times, and we know the world’s most successful people all have their own version of a bulletproof routine.
However, now, more than ever, it’s vital to take full advantage of the early morning before the day’s distractions. Our world is busy, it’s distracted, and very very tough to ascertain why people continue to live a life full of distractions, especially after reading this book which so clearly cuts through all the BS of our modern day world.
The book is written by leadership guru, Robin Sharma, who has based it on lessons he’s been teaching successful business owners for over twenty years.
Three main takeaways from The 5 AM Club are:
Many successful people have a daily habit of rising early
Small, frequent advances lead to unimaginable results over time
To truly be great, continue to step outside your comfort zone, even after your life is changing for the better
Instead of my detailing all of the tenant of the book, I’ve pulled this from BookSummary.com
Lesson One: Many successful people have a daily habit of rising early
Those who achieve fame and success aren’t simply born with talent and drive.
To be great, you’ve got to put in the work. No questions asked.
There have been many over the years that have committed to rising early every morning. The early wake-up sets a positive and productive tone for the day ahead.
You’d be surprised what you can achieve in only an hour every morning.
In the book, they talk about the 20/20/20 framework for the first hour of your day. The framework is three sets of twenty minutes for the following.
Physical exercise: This can be a gym session, some yoga, or even a short run.
Reflection: Fill in a journal, or meditate.
Learning: Read a book, listen to a podcast or read a newspaper
You can tweak the morning routine to suit you. For example, you may want a longer work out.
The routine should be done every day for 66 days, which is, on average, the time it takes to make a behavior a habit.
Lesson Two: Small, frequent advances lead to unimaginable results over time
You’ll find that almost everyone you talk to has some excuse as to why they didn’t achieve all they thought they would.
For example, a writer might blame his family or friends for his inability to find the time to write.
However, excuses are much like social media: distractions.
Or, as I like to say it… Excuses are like butts: everyone has them and they all stink.
The truth is that reaching goals isn’t a case of hitting home runs. It is a case of consistently hitting singles.
If you want to make a dent in your goals, you need to start working on a regular basis.
Small regular steps build a solid base for success.
Take the story of Sara, from the book. She was a young painter who got the old talk: “If you consistently show up in your studio every day, you will one day reach some degree of success.”
Sara found the information useful but not inspirational.
However, she began to a daily practice, beginning every morning with exercise, reflection, and motivational literature.
Over time, her craft got stronger.
Lesson Three: To truly be great, continue to step outside your comfort zone, even after your life is changing for the better
The best thing about self-improvement is that it is never finished.
If you continually push yourself past what is comfortable, regardless of what you’ve already accomplished, you’ll continue to grow.
Take this story between famous choreographers Agnes De Mille and Martha Graham.
De Mille had just received a lot of fame and recognition for her work on Oklahoma!, however, felt the show was so different from what she wanted to be doing.
She reached out to a colleague and friend, Graham, for support.
In response, Graham reminded her that a true artist is never satisfied.
This dissatisfaction and need for more is exactly what pushes great people forward.
Anyone who has the motivation to succeed can do the same.
Put The Book Into Action
Rather than set the alarm for 5 am tomorrow and hope for the best, start small.
For example, a trick used in the book is to introduce the rule of having no screen time after 8 pm.
By limiting screen time you’ll be able to go to sleep easier.
Without the added distractions, you may even end up going to bed at an earlier time.
You’ll find that with the easier sleep, you may naturally wake up earlier anyway.
My Personal Takeaway
I am already an early riser, so waking up at 5 am is not that big of a reach for me, however, it can be difficult to do this for so many days in a row, that is why the 66-day rule is incremental to making this a morning habit. To be an early riser, you need to be able and willing to go to sleep at just about 9 pm every night, as well.
However, there are a few things that I can bring into my routine. For example, the no screen time after 8 pm will be tricky but should be a focus going forward. I think most people should do this, but, ironically, it’s also when most people develop their own screen time to watch TV, use their phones, or do more of this, as well. It can be tough and tricky to put everything down at this juncture, for sure.
This book is perfect for anybody who is overwhelmed and overworked. I would also give this book to anybody who has a side-hustle. The emphasis on resting is overlooked to a lot of part-time business owners. I really think a lot of the quotes, memoirs, and more in this book are adaptations that just about everyone should take into account for and with their life. It is and can be profound, as well.
Either way, I highly recommend it. Read it!
Give me a shout, or let me know if you have another book you’d recommend. I’m all ears, all the time.
See you out there.
~ Cam King // info@ckcollective.co
Book Review: 5 AM Club