Building Habits for the 5AM Club [Part 3]

Author

ShihHoon Y.
March 24, 2024

Happy Sunday!

Spring is here and the sun is shining ☀️ I hope you had a very nice weekend.

Let’s talk habits. If you have been following the past 2 weeks (fret not, if you have not), we talked about the 5AM Club book:

And now, we are going to talk about habits.
How do we implement the 20-20-20 method and keep it going.

MARCH FOCUS
The 5am Club

Book: 5AM Club

I have to be honest:

Have I been doing the 20-20-20 method 100%? No way… there were days where I couldn’t do it, or have limitations. But, I did try to at least do one part of it (or two) like the reflection and learn bit.. because it’s easier for me 😁

The key thing is:

You do your best, and don’t let it slip 2 days in a row!

Another thing is, make it work for you. Yes, it’s 20 minutes each, but do you need to restrict it that way?

20/20/20 Method - 20 minutes each

I have tweaked it to made it work for me:

  • Reflection: 10 minutes journal, 10 minutes meditation. Sometimes, 15 minutes meditation because I feel like I needed it

  • Learn: 20 - 30 minutes of learning. Depending on the content. If it’s something around art, then I give myself 30 minutes. I have not been doing the ‘Learn’ bit as consistent as I would have like to

  • Move: 30 - 40 minutes of move. That’s how my online classes are structured and I made it work for me.

    …. and of course, 20 - 30 minutes of aimless scrolling on my phone. This is the bad habit that I’m trying to get rid of.

I’m not perfect, and I’m still finding ways for me to adjust to make it work better for me.

If you’re keen to read the summary of the book, head on to Blinkist

DEEP DIVE
Sticking with It!

There are 3 parts to The 5AM Club. Catch up if you have missed it:

1. Waking up early, at 5am
2. The 20-20-20 method
3. Building this into a habit

💥The 66 Days Minimum

Yeap! You read that right.

Based on research, it is suggested that it takes 66 days to form a new habit. Robin Sharma encourages those who are keen to give this a go - to commit to the 5AM routine for a minimum of 66 days to internalize it.

“Studies show it takes 66 days to form a new habit, so stick with it to see results. Have a set routine and keep it up for six weeks. The first time your alarm goes off, you won’t want to get up, but count down from five and just do it. Nothing will change if you don’t. It can help to make the transition slowly and over time; your body will adjust. Like any new habit, after six weeks it’ll feel normal.”

Katie Pratley, founder of The Happy Wellbeing Club
💪 Keeping the Momentum

I’m going to take some learnings from James Clear’s Atomic Habit. This could possibly the next book that I’ll do a deep dive (thinking to myself 🤔).

There are 4 laws of behaviour change that we can use to create good habits and break the bad ones

  1. Make it obvious – the habit needs to be effortless for us and require no active thinking. For example, the first thing I do for my 20-20-20 method is to journal. I make sure I have my phone next to me (yes, for alarm), and my journal app is front and center, next to it is my meditation app, and my workout/yoga apps. All my (doom scrolling) social media apps and candy crush (now deleted) are hidden away in page 4, in a folder called ‘DON’T NEED’.

  2. Make it attractive – if the habit is unattractive we likely won’t have enough willpower to do it over and over. I know, with the name ‘5AM Club’ people cringe 😖 (that’s the face people showed me when I talk about it). Instead of it being hard/difficult, can we change the narrative to - ‘it’s one hour for me - for my self care, self development and a routine that will benefit me. I love me and I will have this time for me’.

  3. Make it easy – the less friction there is between you and the habit, the greater the chances are that you’ll actually do it. Can we start with waking up 15 minutes earlier? Roll out your exercise/yoga mat, or have your workout clothes laid out. Trust me, I tried this, and it really works. I thought: ‘naahhh I can do it without laying things out’. Just depending on motivation is not enough (at least for me). AND… make it work for you! You can start with learning first if that works for you, or do 30 burpees and move on to reflection time. Do what’s easier first for you.

  4. Make it immediately satisfying – our brain rewards immediate returns so it’s good to come up with something simple that brings us joy right after we perform our habit. I have a habit app.. called ‘Habit’ (go figure) that lets me tick off the things that I have done. I find that pretty satisfying. Or reward myself with 10 minutes of candy crush after I have completed all 3. Pick something that is enjoyable or make you feel like you have achieved something.

Let’s give this a go for the next 7 days.

In the next newsletter, I’ll discuss journaling and share a few templates to help you with Reflection time.

If you’re interested and keen to give the 5AM Club a go but still feeling a bit lost how how to do it all, drop me an email: [email protected] and I’ll be more than happy to help.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Impactful Words I Hear/Read

❝

The way you begin your day really does determine the extent of focus, energy, excitement, and excellence you bring to it..

Robin Sharma, Author of The 5AM Club

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