The 5 AM Club Book Summary

Book Summary

15 min

Audio available

Brief Summary

Most people get out of bed every morning, unaware that if they changed their morning routine, they could also change their lives. In the 5 AM Club, Robin Sharma makes the argument that your morning routine has a significant impact on your day, and starting it at 5 AM with a few special tips could help your ability to be successful. Read on to learn what to do with that extra time in the morning to make it benefit you most, what characteristics make someone truly successful, and why if you’re only focusing on your well-being, you’re missing an important part of the equation.

About the Author

A Canadian writer, best known for his The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari book series, Robin Sharma worked as a litigation lawyer until he was 25 years old. He then published MegaLiving, a book about managing stress and finding spirituality. He also self-published the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, which later HarperCollins widely published. He is the author of 12 books and is the founder of a training company, Sharma Leadership International. He graduated from Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University.

Topics

Self Development

The 5 AM Club Book Summary Preview

Most people get out of bed every morning, unaware that if they changed their morning routine, they could also change their lives. In the 5 AM Club, Robin Sharma makes the argument that your morning routine has a significant impact on your day, and starting it at 5 AM with a few special tips could improve your ability to be successful. He illustrates this through a fictional story about an artist and an entrepreneur, who is taken under the wing of an eccentric billionaire with some unusual advice. Read on to learn what to do with that extra time in the morning to make it benefit you most, what characteristics make someone truly successful, and why if you’re only focusing on your well-being, you’re missing an important part of the equation.

The story begins with the billionaire approaching a frustrated artist and a depressed entrepreneur, in ragged clothing. They are captivated by his presence. After talking for a while, he states that some people wish wonderful things would happen to them, and others do the legwork to make extraordinary things happen. The artist and the entrepreneur become more and more curious about him. Eventually, he tells them that the best way to achieve both personal and professional success is to have one hell of a morning routine. The artist, the entrepreneur, and readers everywhere were shocked. A morning routine! How could this possibly be the key to meaningful success? The billionaire then asked them to come with him to his mansion the next morning, and he would teach them all they needed to know. The next day, the artist and the entrepreneur boarded a jet to his home, labeled “5AC” (5 AM club) and got started on a life-changing adventure.

Biological factors make achieving flow at 5 AM easier

In the book, the billionaire explains why waking up early is beneficial. Everyone has a certain limit when it comes to their brainpower: they can only work so long before their comprehension becomes limited. Especially if you’re a big multi-tasker, you lose focus by wasting it on too many things at once. When you wake up at 5 AM, your brain’s prefrontal cortex (which controls rational thought) is shut down. The neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine are stimulated by the sun rising as well. This combination of events means that a state of flow is more easily achievable. Flow is a state of energized focus achieved by professionals in many fields - and can be yours too. You have a golden opportunity at this early hour to capitalize on your ability to achieve flow! Pretty sweet, right? For how to capitalize on it, keep reading.

Raw Talent versus perseverance, stacking, mastery, and facing distraction

On a beautiful morning, the billionaire, the entrepreneur, and the artist gathered by the sea, and the billionaire informed them of a few things he had learned.The first thing he told them was about how success wasn’t necessarily related to talent, but rather, how much people capitalized on their talent. The billionaire went...