Last week, during a conversation to connect with a dear family friend, she shared about her trying the 5AM Club by Robin Sharma. I used to be a big fan of Robin Sharma, but had not thought about his stuff in a long time. She sent me a summary PDF of his work, and I was very impressed.
I have not read the book, but the premise revolves around:
- Waking up at 5AM
- Doing 20 minutes of movement
- Doing 20 minutes of reflection/meditation
- Doing 20 minutes of growth-focused activities (e.g., review goals, read, podcasts, etc.)
For me, between work and family and household care, I have felt my personal needs for time for me stretched thin. Or, as I am beginning to realize, I have never really prioritized it or it is something that has often fallen by the side.
Movement:
Since the beginning of this pandemic, I have begun to see that I genuinely don’t enjoy working out. I used to get a natural high and excitement by going for a run, but these days getting in my exercise for the day feels like a stretch. That being said, I feel the cumulative lethargy that grows with a lack of movement; and, the same for when I actually do move.
Meditate/Reflect/Journal:
I have so been wanting to simply journal, reflect or meditate. I have noticed that with Facebook, and conversations — I can lose sight of what I actually am thinking about. I try to stand guard at what I input into my brain, and generally most things are pretty good, but I just have been craving for a little time to naturally let things come up in my head. I have been meditating for 10 minutes with Insight Timer’s Sharon Salzberg’s Breathe Meditation. I have kept this consistent for 2 weeks now, and there is something easier to dropping into a consistent voice and instruction, rather than something that changes everyday. Also, I am finding guided meditation easier these days.
Growth:
I have been writing, note taking, journaling a bit more. I am trying to take notes on most articles I read — this reduces how much input I am taking in, and also helps me to get more out of what I am reading. I am also trying to simply jot down more beautiful memories with Sarika, my Mom, the kids and everyone else that I have a chance to connect with.
Week 1: Summary
For the past week, I have been working to wake up at 5AM. A couple reflections:
- Waking up at 5AM requires you to be on point the evening before. I need to estimate out my evening closeout activities and plan accordingly. In other words, I need to at the latest be in bed by 9:15 to give myself a ramp down time.
- I need 20 minutes of my body even remotely being ready to move before getting started. I really want/need my cup of coffee right now.
- I need switching time between Move/Reflect/Grow, and the 20/20/20 turns into 80 minutes to adjust for switching time.
- I can sometimes have a crash at around 8 to 9AM. I had to take a nap at 8AM once.
- I am really tired by the evening, and may even sleep deeper.
- I am seeing how I almost don’t care to look at my phone in the evening.