Why I Chose This Book
This book has been mentioned time and time again at business conferences and podcasts. It’s been on my wishlist for quite some. I’m also knee deep into my fitness journey right now and figured waking up at 5am must have something to do with exercise - spoiler alert: it does.
I did listen to the audio version, narrated by Adam Verner.
Quick Summary of 5AM Club
The 5AM club is a self-help book that obviously promotes waking up at 5am. Every. Single. Day. Yes, even weekends.
Robin explains that doing this will maximize productivity, improve focus, and upgrade your overall quality of life. The book follows a fictional story of a billionare mentor guru type who is teaching an artist and an entrepreneur through the life changing magic of waking up at 5am.
“Own your morning, elevate your life.”
Top Takeaways for Business Owners
Follow the 20/20 Formula
In the first hour of waking up, from 5 to 6am, divide your hour into 3 parts.Movement: intense exercise for 20 minutes
Reflect: Meditate, journal, pray for 20 minutes
Grow: Read, study, grow your craft for 20 minutes
Habit Installation Protocol
Robin says forming a habit takes 66 days and can be broken down into three phases.Destruction: Breaking old habits
Installation: Creating new habits
Integration: Hardwiring new habits to your identiy
First 90 Minutes
The first 90 minutes of your workday should be spent focusing on the most important tasks that will actually move your business forward. No distractions, no meetings, no multitasking.
How I’m Applying It to My Business
Well….I’m not sure that I am. Look, I get the idea. I am intrigued by the idea of waking up each morning before the rest of the house and I do think spending that time to myself reading, journaling, or planning could be great for my business. I don’t think I’ll follow the 20/20/20 rule though. Here’s why
My workouts are usually closer to an hour or more and I like it that way
Food? Coffee?
What about the time spent in between these activities? I don’t think working myself into a sweaty mess and then trying to focus on deep work is going to work for me. That would be a huge distraction
So maybe my real issue is with the workout part. I can see myself adapting the plan to something like this:
20 minutes to reflect
20 minutes to grow (reading)
20 minutes to work on a big project I don’t normally have time to.
And yes, I know he says to do that the first 90 minutes of your work day, but when your workday is in a client’s home, that doesn’t always work.
Do I Recommend This Book?
Meh. I may have enjoyed it more if I actually read it, but there is a lot of fluff in here. A lot of woo woo type stuff and I found myself thinking many times - okay just get to the point already. I feel like we were halfway through the book before any useful strategies were even discussed. So if you’re into story telling, you’d probably love this book. If you’re looking for a book jam packed with actionable information, this may not be it.
Hi, I’m Naomi!
Founder of Charming Spaces, professional organizer, wife, mom of three and passionate advocate for women.
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