JOIN THE 5AM CLUB
Catherine Lawson
The benefits of rising early have long been revered as the key to maximising performance, developing mental clarity and resilience, boosting health and wellbeing and, quite frankly, getting the most out of life. Michelle Obama, Jennifer Aniston, Richard Branson and Gwyneth Paltrow are just some of the modern-day famous fans of the early morning routine and they’re in good company. Aristotle famously said, “It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom,” and Benjamin Franklin adopted a similar philosophy stating, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Let’s be honest – the idea of rising early isn’t something many people unaccustomed to the habit relish, however, for those who have made this practice a part of their daily routine their praise of the benefits is almost evangelical.
In his book The 5 am Club: Own Your Morning, Elevate Your Life, Robin Sharma, a world expert on leadership and personal development, gives us a 20/20/20 model whereby on rising we dedicate 20 minutes to exercise (for example yoga stretches, a walk or a short run), 20 minutes to self-reflection (journalling, meditation, gratitude or other such mindful practices) and 20 minutes to working on a personal goal (for example, learning a new skill, reading up on a specific subject or spending time on a creative endeavour such as writing). By rising before the rest of the world wakes and devoting time to personal growth and life goals, we build the habits which lead to better health, increased productivity and a whole new level of self-mastery.
It’s not surprising that early morning is seen by many to be the optimum time for focus, growth and productivity. There is something glorious in rising while the rest of the world lies sleeping; it gives us a period of quiet solitude in our otherwise cluttered and chaotic days where we can focus on our personal goals uninterrupted and without apology. It’s the perfect time to go deep into reflection, to lean into new challenges and to allow ourselves to be completely present in our stretch and flow. And when we can do it all without the digital distractions which can impact the rest of our working hours, all the better. By the time the rest of the world gets up we have set the tone for the rest of the day, frontloading it with a sense of achievement, purpose and the confidence which comes from showing up for ourselves day in and day out to build the life we want.
Peace and quiet aside, there is sound brain science behind rising early. As we fight the urge to tuck in under the duvet, choosing instead to rise and claim the day, our brain is functioning in a calm, meditative and creative mode (it’s called the theta brainwave state) which is particularly receptive to learning, processing information and making memories. It’s also the space in which we can manage our stress levels to positively impact our mood across the rest of the day. When we harness these benefits in a state of mental relaxation during that first quiet hour of the morning, we set ourselves up to head into our working day at our most productive and with a positive mindset: we’ve paved the neural pathway for success.
It’s worth pointing out that the aim is not to follow a rigid routine set by someone else but rather to make the morning our own. What’s important in this practice is that we engage in valuable, purpose driven activities which support our personal growth and development in line with our own goals. Equally important, if the benefits of rising early are to be fully appreciated, however, is heading to bed earlier too so that we are well rested and ready to rise when that early morning alarm call sounds.
