5 AM Good Morning Club:
How to Master Waking Up Early

No matter where I speak to leaders worldwide, they are always fascinated by the idea of the "5 AM Good Morning Club." My audience is consistently interested in how they can be more productive, how to utilize their day more effectively, and how to achieve more.

We live in a world of massive distractions, and there is something very important you need to know: all highly creative and productive people use the time between 5 and 6 AM. Let’s start with great thinkers, poets, writers, and politicians like Goethe, Hemingway, and Adenauer. This also includes successful managers like billionaire Richard Branson, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Trigema boss Wolfgang Grupp, and Tesla guru Elon Musk.

The Sacred Hour of Early Birds

They all cherish the so-called “sacred hour” between 5 and 6 AM. There's a reason we have sayings like “The early bird catches the worm.” I am an early riser myself and first heard about the 5 AM Good Morning Club in the early 90s when I was working for the United Nations in New York.

Let’s dive into the tips and tricks that have helped many CEOs and leaders I’ve had the chance to speak to, significantly boosting their productivity not just professionally but also personally.

Your Success Booster

Why should you wake up at 5 AM every morning? The ancient Spartans had a saying: “He who sweats more in training bleeds less in war.” The first reason is to use the time between 5 and 6 AM for yourself.

While everyone else is still sleeping, train your mind and body and prepare yourself for the day. The first hour of the day is also called the helm of the day. During this first hour, you set your day’s course and determine how far you will go.

Use this first hour to mentally prepare for the day, work on positive habits, focus on your personal fitness, and engage in activities that inspire you. By 6 AM, you’ll step into your day with the incredible feeling that you’ve taken an active role in shaping what lies ahead.

Focus - Focus - Focus

You have set your stakes, defined your roadmap, and decided where you want to go and what you want to achieve today. Another key advantage is the clarity of focus on what you want to accomplish.

As Tony Robbins says, “Where your focus goes, energy flows.” So, when you focus every morning on what is important to you, you give yourself a powerful boost for the day.

Willpower

The second reason I recommend joining the 5 AM Club is that you have the strongest willpower at this time of the day. As the day goes on with all its challenges, your willpower naturally weakens. By training and strengthening your willpower early on, you’ll navigate the day well, sticking to what you’ve planned.

Your Prime Time

The third reason to wake up at 5 AM is that you enter your personal prime time between 6 and 9 AM. This is like radio’s drive time—the main broadcast period. During this drive time, radio stations reach the most listeners, and you personally accomplish the most because you have the most energy.

You know this too: during this time, there is still calm. No distractions, no emails, no phone calls. You can be truly productive. Prepare during your three golden hours in the 5 AM Club.

Personal High Performance

If you do this well, you can often achieve more in one day than others do in a week. You lay the foundation for your personal high performance. Another key reason to work on your personal development is the tremendous psychological advantage it gives you. Getting up at 5 AM, winning the battle with your alarm and your cozy bed, and starting your day motivated strengthens your self-confidence because winning the morning means winning the day. Tim Ferris, the self-optimization guru, puts it that way.

You feel powerful, full of energy, and strong when you manage to get up at 5 AM. While the rest of the world is still asleep, you are already active and productive. This gives you a good feeling that you are influencing the things that matter to you. This is your mental advantage.

Now I want to give you some tips on how to join the 5 AM Good Morning Club.

66-Day Rule

The first tip is that it takes a maximum of 66 days to establish a new habit sustainably, according to University College London. It will take up to 66 days for you to get used to it and establish your success habit. Yes, it requires perseverance at first, which can be difficult initially, but you will be greatly rewarded in the end. So, start and stick with it until getting up at 5 AM becomes your personal trademark.

**Same Time Every Day**

The second tip is to get up at the exact same time every morning. Set your alarm for exactly 5:00 AM. Not 5:08 AM, 5:03 AM, or 5:12 AM—NO! Always at 5:00 AM. My alarm is always set for 4:55 AM, and then I get up.

You can do this five days a week and sleep in on weekends if you want. I personally do it even on weekends and take a long walk with our dog. The same time every day provides your body and mind with continuity, orientation, and stability. And from that, you draw energy for your day.

20/20/20 Rule

The third tip I want to introduce to you is what Robin Sharma calls the “20/20/20 Rule.” This means establishing a morning ritual within the 5 AM Good Morning Club. It is especially important that you create your own ritual according to the 20/20/20 Rule. I have known rituals since childhood from martial arts. My father was on the national judo team and always took me to matches.

Rituals in judo are deliberate actions that serve to convey a shared sense, lived convictions, overarching goals, as well as “order” and discipline. You can equate these rituals with the 20/20/20 Rule, which you start your day with.

Physical Fitness

Use the first 20 minutes for your physical fitness. This is a real eye-opener because you will feel completely different after 20 minutes than you did when you woke up. Think about what physical activity suits you: running, using your cross-trainer, rowing machine, running in place, using your trampoline, or jumping rope. Some of you might have the option to jump in the pool. Whatever it is, set everything you need the night before.

Why is physical activity in the first 20 minutes so important? It releases dopamine in your body. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that stimulates and activates the central nervous system. It’s like your body’s own Red Bull—it gives you wings.

Serotonin, the happiness hormone, is also stimulated, which enhances your mood. So, when you exercise, you feel significantly better. It’s like putting the first gear in and driving off. Your metabolism is also stimulated by movement, giving you more energy.

Daily Planning

In the second 20 minutes, from 5:20 AM to 5:40 AM, review your schedule and goals for the day. This provides the inspiration and focus needed to avoid distractions during the day. It also boosts your power and passion as you see yourself progressing. From a broader perspective, you are working on your purpose—your “why” in life. This is incredibly motivating.

Learning and Development

Use the final 20 minutes, from 5:40 AM to 6:00 AM, for learning. In the last third of the 20/20/20 Rule, focus on your continued education. Education is your personal vaccine against daily changes in your environment. As the Americans say, “The world belongs to learners.”

The more you learn and apply, the more you achieve and the better results you get. To earn more, you need to learn, apply, and implement multiple times over. So read, listen to podcasts and audiobooks, watch inspiring videos or training videos on YouTube, like TED talks, listen to book summaries on Blinkist or GetAbstract, or listen to books on Audible. You can also read books or interesting articles, subscribe to valuable blogs or newsletters. The more you know, the greater your advantage.

5 AM Good Morning Club Entry in the Day Planner

The fourth tip is simple: write “5 AM Good Morning Club” in your planner every day from Monday to Friday, from 5 to 6 AM, followed by 20/20/20 (20 minutes of physical activity, 20 minutes of goal and task planning, and 20 minutes of learning and development).

You know the rule: “What’s written stays.” This strengthens your commitment and personal responsibility to stick to what you’ve put in your calendar. It sharpens your awareness and helps you stay consistent. Writing things down is a powerful tool that helps ensure that what you write happens.

Things you plan are the things you accomplish. Or put another way: failing to plan is planning to fail. So from 5:00 to 6:00 AM, you are in the 5 AM Good Morning Club. And that’s every morning from Monday to Friday. It helps with your self-discipline and gives you the power to get up at 5 AM.

Sleep Well

Finally, tip number five: Make sure you sleep well and get enough rest. Each of us has different sleep needs, and it's more about the quality than the quantity of sleep you get. You know the recommendations.

To get better sleep, you should avoid using your phone before going to bed. Even if it's hard to part with your laptop, phone, or tablet before bedtime, keep them out of your bedroom. And avoid watching the news—in fact, it's best not to watch TV at all before bed.

To achieve the results that only 5% of the population enjoy, you must have the courage to do what only 5% of the population does. To enjoy restful sleep, prepare for it. So no computer, no internet browsing, no TV, no phone, no news.

Instead, try proven home remedies for good sleep, like a glass of warm milk with honey, herbal tea, or a dose of extra magnesium.

So, I would like to warmly invite you to join the life-changing "5 AM Good Morning Club." This will be an absolute game-changer for you, and if you follow the suggestions I've laid out, you'll ignite your success turbo.

I wish you the best of success.

Author:

Matthias Hettl is known as an international management consultant. He trains and coaches board members, executives, and leaders. He has also held a professorship in management and has extensive leadership expertise. He has experience as a supervisory board member, CEO, and internationally as a consultant for the United Nations. As a renowned management and leadership expert, he is a sought-after speaker.

For more information visit: Hettl Consult