(this post also has the New Year message in the end)
Author: Robin Sharma
Year Of Publication: 2018
Goodreads review: 3.8/5
Genre: Self-Help
A great guide for creating a stellar morning routine!
Why this book?
Let’s face it.. Many of us have it in our New Year Resolutions that we must become an early riser. But very few have managed to achieve it.
I am one among those who have not achieved it. I am a night owl. I can sit till even 2 AM but not wake up before 6 AM. But I have been hearing a lot that being nocturnal is not good for health. So I wanted to read something that would motivate me to become an early riser. I read that the 5 AM Club (5AC) was good and so I decided to give it a read.
About the book
This book revolves around the old saying
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise
This book boldly states that all virtuosos and geniuses have attained their level of greatness only because they had a world-class morning routine.
There are four main characters in the entire book
- The Entrepreneur
- The Artist
- The Spellbinder
- The billionaire- Riley Stone
The Entrepreneur was facing severe problems in her company. She was facing a hostile takeover attempt by her investors. She is contemplating suicide when she sees a ticket to a “personal optimization” conference.
She attends the Spellbinder’s conference and meets the Artist there. The Artist loves to paint but is rarely focused nowadays. The Spellbinder talks about human tendency to be satisfied with mediocrity and not strive for greatness. He collapses towards the end of the conference. When the Entrepreneur and Artist are about to leave they meet the billionaire, Riley Stone.
Mr.Riley offers to teach them a world-class morning routine which will help them attain their greatness. The Entrepreneur and Artist accept this offer.
The Teachings – A Brief Overview
The most important teaching is that you need to wake up at 5 AM. The book first states the different physiological and psychological aspects that one needs to work on to become successful in life. The billionaire talks about the Heartset, Mindset, Healthset and Soulset which are the 4 pillars of success.
The billionaire then talks about the routines that one needs to adopt to develop the four pillars. The 20/20/20 formula is discussed. He says that it takes nearly 66 days to install a habit. The quote, “all change is difficult in the beginning, messy in the middle and beautiful in the end” is inspiring.
This book also stresses on the importance of “relaxing” or “rejuvenating” the body in sustaining success. He says that one needs 7 and a half hours of sleep everyday.
He also emphasizes on the need for disconnecting from our electronic devices because digital addiction is one of the main reasons for the loss of creativity.
The billionaire also teaches about how to structure our work so that we can maximize our productivity. He says that we have only limited amount of decision making power everyday and hence we must use it effectively. He quotes the example of famous people like Steve Jobs who wear the same dress everyday to save their decision making power. The 90/90/10 and 60/60/10 plans are discussed here.
My Views
This is my first Robin Sharma book. This book does a great job in explaining the science behind having a good morning routine. But I am not yet convinced on the importance of getting up at 5 AM. For every person that Mr.Riley quotes, my mind immediately goes to a famous person who is not a morning person like Mr.Churchill or Mr.Pichai.
But this book gives a concrete plan on how to structure your morning. The author himself has said in several places that he has only given some ideas and it was up to us to design a routine which suited us the best.
No electronic devices after waking up (he actually says that our sleeping room should be free from electronic devices), exercising, introspection and proper rest are the best practices that this book mentions to boost our creativity and productivity.
There are some great quotes and phrases throughout the book which makes it an enjoyable read. One of my favorite quotes was
Sweat more in practice, bleed less in war.
I will definitely recommend this book for those who have no idea where to start. This book explains everything in simple terms and also backs up several assertions with scientific reasoning. It also motivates to us seek our primal greatness and not settle down for the average. It is slow paced for fiction lovers like myself, but it might be appropriate for those who love non-fiction.
Before I leave…..
I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking time out of your busy lives to read this blog.
I have received several new subscribers and readers this year and am looking forward to growing the reader base.
As always, I am optimistic about technology. AI is going to dominate the game. We have to wait and watch where Quantum Computing goes. It is going to be an exciting decade ahead in terms of technology growth!
My New Year Message
Be eager to learn more. Stay hungry! Go for depth of knowledge. Work on stuff that excites you. Contribute back to the society in whatever way you can! Because the real joy is in giving rather than taking! Most importantly enjoy this journey called life… because YOLO!!!
I wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2020!!
Keep reading Tech Wizard! I will see you next year!
Tech Wizard 
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