You Have Heard of The 5 AM Club, Meet The Hybrid 5 AM Society
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Let’s get one thing straight: Robin Sharma’s “5 AM Club” is impossible to partake in when you are both an entrepreneur AND a creative. Like me.
In my utterly nuanced, though not-so-unrelatable, case as an early-stage founder and writer, there are too many days amid which even the most structured afternoons will (mysteriously) turn into late evenings. With more “rollover” work that needs to get done. These tasks, I’ve noticed, are almost always of the creative type. And, seemingly, in spite of my being at my MOST disciplined during my proverbial optimal hours (early mornings and daytime), I am easily swayed by the urge to succumb to burning the dreaded midnight oil. To pen that blog post. Edit a story idea with a timely hook for XYZ editor. Redesign the Darling Anaïs pitch deck just one last time. And before you know it, the sun has come up and it’s almost 5 AM. Making it a fully defeatist endeavor to keep a consistent circadian rhythm. Which, along with rising at 5 in the morning, Sharma has touted for some 20 years ago is the ultimate secret sauce for maximizing productivity — a movement that maintains a cult-like following to this day.
It has garnered notable supporters and participants like First Lady Michelle Obama, First Lady of Reality TV Kris Jenner, and Gwenyth Paltrow, the Grand Dame of Wellness. (To name a few.)
Like many slaves to “flow” before me, I have tirelessly wondered why it is soooo hard to call it a night when writing. Well, for starters, it’s not just a hackneyed saying that inspiration linked to creativity has a sneaky habit of striking at the oddest hours. This phenomenon, in fact, is backed by scientific research. And I’m here to tell you that there’s absolutely no shame in resorting to a level of inconsistency in life to exercise your hard-earned renaissance person gene impactfully.
According to a 2011 study carried out by the Department of Psychological Science at Albion College, “participants solved insight and analytic problems at their optimal or non-optimal time of day.”
“Given the presumed differences in the cognitive processes involved in solving these two types of problems,” the article further delineates. “It was expected that the reduced inhibitory control associated with non-optimal times of the day would differentially impact performance on the two types of problems. In accordance with this expectation, results showed consistently greater insight problem-solving performance during non-optimal times of day compared to optimal times of day but no consistent time of day effects on analytic problem-solving. The findings indicate that tasks involving creativity might benefit from a non-optimal time of day.”
So, how might one in a similar position to mine manage the necessity of both analytical and creative output within the allotted 24 hours in a day?
I present to you my bespoke solution: “The Hybrid 5 AM Society.”
As a fellow member of #TH5AMS, you, too, can have your cake and eat it! Instead of feeling deterred by the process of struggling to stick with a set routine and sleep cycle, I advise embracing your unique journey and not being afraid to make compromises as needed, even if it means reframing a schedule you’d committed to with gusto.
As a nascent founding CEO-cum-journalist, I’m learning to allow myself the leeway to plug away with editorial or copy projects until the sun comes up (my non-optimal hours). While relegating my day to operative stuff.
Take control of your unique professional journey by giving the #TH5AMS a whirl and best sure to comment below with your progress.
Happy doing-it-on-your-terms!
