How Waking Up Early Changed My Life (Really)

I woke up not in a morning person manner. A few minutes before leaving for work, I used to wake up.

I think the incorrect assumption is that someone is not a morning person. One can learn waking in the morning just as any other ability. As you will learn in the rest of the post, it merely calls for 66 days.

Do you feel like garbage upon waking?

Do you find it difficult to commit time for activities?

Do you feel exhausted all day?

Do you have trouble with concentration?

Read the rest of the article and I might be able to help you with the issues listed above.

The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma

It all started with this book.

This book goes well beyond just advocating for early rising. It delivers transformational notions that can dramatically shift your life.

Through the story of a failing artist and entrepreneur who encounters a mysterious mentor, Sharma explains how waking up at 5 AM can affect your entire day and, eventually, your life.

Whether you enjoy fiction or not, you’ll likely find the novel intriguing since it efficiently imparts its teachings through storytelling.

The most crucial remark for me in that book was the following one: All changes are hard at first, messy in the middle and magnificent at the end

The book has motivated me so deeply that I’ve started waking up early every day since I read it.

I want to present you the most significant themes from the book and show you how it altered my life.

The Schema of Learning

In The 5 AM Club, Robin Sharma offers the schema of learning:

Awareness → Decisions → Results

Which is a basic yet powerful paradigm for personal growth. It demonstrates how deep, meaningful change begins with understanding, followed by purposeful decisions, and ultimately leads to actual effects.

It is really vital in my opinion to know that it all starts with self-awareness.

20 / 20/ 20 formula

The cornerstone of the 5 AM Club is the 20/20/20 formula, breaking the first hour of the day into three 20-minute segments:

Move (20 minutes): Engage in rigorous exercise to raise dopamine, reduce stress, and engage the brain’s learning centres. In my situation, it is 15-minute workouts you can get on Youtube

Reflect (20 minutes): Meditate, journal, or practice gratitude to focus your attention and organize the day. In my case, it is 5-minute meditation and planning of today’s TODOs

Grow (20 minutes): Spend time learning -- read, listen to podcasts, or study something that encourages intellectual growth. In my case — reading a book.

At the conclusion of it, I altered this formula by going on a stroll with my dog at the end

Scientific studies support these approaches. For example, physical activity early in the morning increases cognitive performance and emotional management, while introspection helps reduce anxiety and improves clarity.

Habit installation

Sharma emphasizes the necessity of making the 5 AM practice a habit, following a 66-day framework to integrate new habits. This is based on research indicating that habits evolve through three stages:

Destruction (Days 1–22): It’s tough as you disrupt previous patterns.

Installation (Days 23–44): New procedures replace the old, but resistance endures.

Integration (Days 45–66): The habit seems natural and becomes automatic. This concept corresponds with psychological studies on neuroplasticity, illustrating how the brain rewires itself through regular repetition.

Why you should read it

The book stands out because it doesn’t just teach discipline – it discusses the science behind it.

Neurotransmitters including dopamine and serotonin, cortisol rhythms, and the circadian cycle all play a role in making the 5 AM regimen efficient.

Additionally, Sharma’s storytelling keeps the reader engaged, making complicated topics easier to grasp.

How it changed my life

I feel better

The 20/20/20 regimen prepares your body and mind for the day. Even though I wake up so early, I feel like I have more energy and my mind is incredibly fresh in the morning to start working on things.

My body feels considerably better after a daily, morning workout. It is confirmed by scientists that it lowers your level of cortisol - the hormone of stress.

I can do more during the day I became more organized and I can do more things before I go to work. After my morning 20/20/20 ritual, I already know what I need to do today and I am ready to start doing it.

My mornings and evenings are better without electronics

That’s my new alarm clock.

The hour after I get up and the hour before I go to sleep I don’t use electronic devices like cell phones. It keeps distractions away and enables me slumber in the evening and focus in the morning.

Summary

I didn’t get paid to advertise “The 5 AM Club” book and I honestly think it can be life-changing. Don’t use the excuse that you are not a morning person - that’s not true. You just have to learn it. Read the book yourself, come back and let me know how you feel about it