The Single Most Powerful Habit That Helped Me Build 2 Billion Dollar Companies
The Unsexy Habit That Changed My Life
The Single Most Powerful Habit That Helped Me Build 2 Billion Dollar Companies… is waking up at 4:45am.
Over the last 14 years, I’ve woken up at 4:45am every single day. I’ve tested every alarm clock, sleep tracker, and productivity hack I could find. I’ve helped over 100 entrepreneurs build their own morning routines.
I always come back to these 5 steps.
1. Your evening routine matters more than your morning routine.
I’ll be honest. I don’t go to bed at the same time every night. My schedule changes. Life happens.
But the best advice I ever got was the 3-2-1 rule:
Stop eating 3 hours before bed
Stop working 2 hours before bed
Turn off screens 1 hour before bed
I do this sometimes. Other times I don’t. But the nights I follow it, I have a good morning the next day. The nights I skip it, I can feel the difference.
2. Wake up to something you actually like.
It’s hard enough to wake up early when you’re building a new habit.
But think about a time when you were excited to wake up. I think about my kids. On school days, they drag themselves out of bed. But when we’re going to Disneyland, they’re up at 4:45am with no problem.
That made me wonder: what if I woke up to something I actually liked? What if the first thing I did in the morning was easy and enjoyable?
Maybe it’s a warm shower. Maybe it’s sitting by the fireplace with a book and dozing off a little. I figured out that if I made 5am feel like a treat instead of a chore, it got a lot easier.
So I made a list of things I would be excited to do when I woke up. Then I started doing them.
Most people load up their mornings with stuff they hate. Cold plunges, breathing exercises, 300 pushups, hot water with cayenne pepper. That’s a lot of pain before sunrise.
The best thing you can do is think about what you actually love and do that first. You don’t have to wake up and do 100 pushups. Just wake up to something you enjoy.
3. Remove every obstacle the night before.
This one I do every single night without fail.
Before I go to sleep, I set out everything I need for the morning. Water bottle, clothes, headphones, wallet. Everything is ready and waiting.
Then I close my eyes for about 10 seconds and picture tomorrow morning. I see myself wake up, turn off the alarm, put on my clothes, and walk downstairs. I run the whole thing in my head like a short movie.
When the alarm goes off the next morning, I just do what I already pictured. The morning feels easier because I already kinda rehearsed it.
4. Wake your body up fast.
For a while, I struggled with that groggy feeling where you’re awake but your body hasn’t caught up yet. I would hit snooze or sit on the edge of the bed for ten minutes.
So I tried something small. For one year, I did one pushup the moment I got out of bed. Just one. It sounds silly, but it was enough to get my blood moving.
Now I drink a full bottle of water as soon as my feet hit the floor. That works for me.
The idea is to find something that wakes your body up quickly. It doesn’t have to be intense. It just has to get you from groggy to awake. A glass of cold water, a quick stretch, a walk to the kitchen. Find what works for you and do it right away.
5. Find something bigger than yourself.
This is the one that changed everything for me.
14 years ago, I was not feeling well. I was working hard, our business was growing fast, and my body was starting to give out. My doctor ran tests for a week and noticed my numbers got better. He asked me what I did differently. The only thing I changed was waking up earlier to get to his office.
He told me to keep doing it.
So I texted three friends. I asked them to wake up with me at 5am for two weeks. I set up a phone call. I would log in, share something quick, and we would all start our day together.
The first morning, I heard three dings on the line. (The dings = like when someone joins a call it chimes, that’s what I am referring to here).
My 3 friends showed up.
The second morning, I heard four dings. They had invited someone else. Huh.
The third morning, seven dings. More weird people.
That phone call became the 5am Club. Today, over 10,000+ people have joined. We have CEOs, founders, a billionaire, a head of state, and members of Congress who call in. I have missed only 3 calls in 14 years.
Every morning, thousands of people count on me to show up on time. That’s way more powerful than an alarm clock.
When other people are waiting for you, you get out of bed.
If you want to join, go to 5amclub.net.
However you slice it, greatness is a choice.
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