Before social media became a popular way to catalog our lives, we were all living a simpler life without knowing we had a competitive mindset, now with social media evolving we're all beginning to perverse an approach of "I'm better than you" conversation where we see people boasting about their new routine of waking up at 5am to honour the badge and try to enrich others in joining. For those who haven't heard about the 5am club, here is some insight...
you get up at 5.00 am to start your day, which is known as ‘victory hour.’ This hour consists of three 20-minute periods, each one devoted to a specific activity:
Exercise
Journaling
Learning
The concept of waking up at 5am is aimed to help someone gain more 'time' in their busy schedule and allocate time for themselves to help them become a better person through mindfulness activities such as journaling or learning a new skill. The reason why it's known as the 5am club is because you will have less interruptions during 'victory hour'. So, is this concept worth it? Every morning is a magical morning for not just productivity but also for creativity. Our brain instantly wakes craving to learn a new activity or skill. However, waking up at 5am can have a huge impact on your sleep.
“We get our deep restorative sleep in the early-morning waking hours when REM sleep occurs, If you shorten that, you are going to feel unrefreshed, and you’re not going to have enough sleep.”
Studies have shown, every individual has semi-unique "chronotype" or biological clock that is a direct result of their specific genetic makeup and evolutionary history. We each have a unique biological hand wiring that determines our energy levels and productivity throughout the day. Therefore, many of us thinking about joining the 5am club can find it challenging compared to others. For those who have a biological clock will tend to struggle waking up at ideal time or put certain routines into their daily life. This will also have a huge impact on executing deep work till later in the morning when your body is more awake. By fighting your natural chronotype instead of working with it will not only reduce your productivity, but can cause numerous physical and mental health problems.
Not convinced yet? Here is a list of high-level executives and CEO's who rise after the sun rise..
Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and Space goes to bed around 1 am.
New Yorker writer and TED speaker Kathryn Schulz does her best work in the middle of the night
Former English Prime Minister Winston Churchill did not actually get out of bed until 11 a.m.
Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti ‘sleeps in’ to 8:30 a.m.
Alexis Ohanian, founder of Reddit goes to bed around 2 a.m. and tries to get up by 10 a.m.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wakes around 8 a.m
The truth is those who want to jump on the 5am club or currently part of the 5am club won't last, as it's a short-term concept. They are actively setting themselves up for failure. They'll suffer from self-imposed jet-lag which will revert to them feeling restless and stressful when things fall out of their control. Key Takeaways:
The 5 a.m. club is definitely not for you if:
You currently get up at 8 a.m., 7 a.m., or even 6 a.m.
You can’t get to sleep before 10 p.m.
You’re a night owl.
You’re family or social schedule simply don’t permit it.
You have no idea what you’d do at 5 a.m!
What's the REAL secret to joining the 5am club?
Joining the magical victory hour and getting the most out of your morning is much simpler than you think...
Simply, wake up 15 minutes earlier than your normal waking hours. It's about taking little steps to achieving your end results and approaching your morning routine in an intelligent and appropriate manner. We sometimes forget we have these in-built micro-habits which cannot change over night, we have to take small steps to break these habits.
A little bit of discipline, will challenge you and yield greater power and control. Hope you found this insightful.
Thank you for reading. Likes and comments are welcome.
#MakeaDifference by Chandz
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