I am a big morning routine fan. I shared about Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning (SAVERS) routine last year when I started to feel the need to take control of my mornings back. The premise of Hal’s book is that by taking time to work on personal development first thing each day, we will naturally become more focused and geared up for the tasks of the day.
READ: Starting the Day Right with “Miracle Morning”: 6 Morning Routine Habits Successful People Swear By
As I have started to re-commit to a practice of reading daily, I signed up for Blinkist. I wanted to ease back into the habit by committing 15 minutes each day, focusing mainly on the meat of the book’s message and then probably look it up if I needed to dive a little deeper into the subject.
Robin Sharma’s The 5 AM Club was one of those I listed on top of my reading list. I have been seeing this book on a number of book recommendation lists on self-development, and it’s easy to know why.
In this post:
The Miracle Morning vs The 5AM Club
While I really like Hal Elrod’s SAVERS routine, I admit that there are days when it’s harder to resist the temptation to skip an item or two. And unfortunately, it’s the exercise and reading bits that I often skip. This is what I appreciated more in Sharma’s book. The routine structure is much simpler, and I loved the scientific explanations behind the concepts.
Four Interior Empires
Sharma also explains that we must understand and give attention to our four interior empires for us to master ourselves and our chosen field. While many gurus and self-development experts often focus on the mindset, this is only 25 percent of the total picture. We can’t ignore the other empires — heartset, healthset, and soulset.
Mindset (Psychology)
Change your thinking and change your life
Actions to take: Read affirmations, visualization, read/learn new things, join masterclasses.
Heartset (Emotionality)
Clear your heart and forgive your past
Actions to take: Mediate, process & release toxic emotions (anger, sadness, resentment, fear, etc.). Show love and compassion. Write your gratitude list. Express your gratitude toward others.
Healthset (Physicality)
Every day is dramatically better with some exercise
Actions to take: Exercise, proper nutrition, adequate rest and relaxation, hygiene.
Soulset (Spirituality)
Remember who you truly are
Actions to take: Reconnect with the very best part of yourself. Discover your “why”. Meditate and be clear of your mission statement, who you are, who you want to become.
The 20/20/20 Formula
In the book, Robin also shares his 20/20/20 formula as a core way of managing your morning. The framework focuses on three key aspects and is designed to optimize the first hour of your day.
The formula means you spend 20 minutes to MOVE, 20 minutes to REFLECT, and 20 minutes to GROW.
20 min to MOVE
The first step is to focus on your healthset by performing vigorous exercise for 20 minutes. The goal is to sweat. Sweating helps you get rid of cortisol, the hormone of fear. Exercise also helps release “happy hormones” — endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. Sweat also generates the protein BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which repairs brain cells and accelerates the formation of new neural connections. Sweating for 20 minutes means you’ll be able to think faster. 🙂
20 min to REFLECT
The next step is to allot 20 minutes as a time for reflection, with a period of deep peace and solitude. This addresses the heartset and soulset. Take this time to reflect on your visions, dreams, and aspirations. Write these thoughts in a journal.
20 min to GROW
The last 20 minutes of your first hour should be dedicated to cultivate the mindset. Take time to learn and study. Read a book, study the biography of someone you admire, or take a free online course. Dedicate time to study learn new skills you can apply to your craft.
Key Takeaways
One thing I found challenging with Hal Elrod’s SAVERS routine was that integrating six new habits into the morning eventually felt like a chore, and on days that I felt like skipping, I did because doing 3 or 4 out of 6 seems good enough.
Robin’s 20/20/20 is much easier to follow. Incorporating three habits to cultivate the four interior empires is a little more doable and manageable. Plus consciously considering the interior empires in the routine makes it easier to stick to.
I had a reboot on my morning routine on September 1 when I felt the need to manage my mornings better. So far, I have been able to start my days consistently at 5 AM to start with morning exercises. I hated moving too early in the morning, so I figured I just might as well “eat the frog” first thing. Getting it over and done with boosts my confidence to conquer my day. And then I rest and sit in silence or read a book via Blinkist and then take a cold shower. I then head to my home office to meditate and journal right before I start tackling work.
After nearly a month of doing this routine, I have come to appreciate the change in my energy levels and general outlook. I’m sticking to this moving forward. I had no issues with keeping the silence, affirmations, visualization and writing part of the SAVERS routine. I just struggled with exercise and reading. I think I have found a way to incorporate these without actually pressuring myself too much. I’m good with 20 min yoga first thing in the morning and 15min reading via Blinkist. Works well so far.
What about you? What are you committing to do for yourself?
