Ever heard of the 5 a.m. club by Robin Sharma? Or seen viral videos of people waking up at 4 a.m. and sharing their routine? I have, and I got a little obsessed with trying it out. But through a lot of trial and error with my morning routine, I learned some important lessons:
Evening routines get ignored, but they are crucial to a successful morning.
Not getting to bed on time puts the proverbial cart before the horse. Without enough sleep, people are doing themselves no favors. They wake up with little energy and little ability to focus. The morning routine isn’t enjoyable and isn’t practical. So the lesson here is pretty simple, get the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep, and you will be off to the races (like this dude in the picture).
As the day ends, temptations are the strongest.
I learned that getting to bed on time is one of the hardest things to do. Why? Because temptations grow stronger as the day goes on. It’s estimated we make 35,000 decisions daily, and decision fatigue sets in big time by day’s end. Hence the ability to control our behavior is reduced.
Look at this tempting list of evening/nighttime activities:
- Smartphone scrolling
- Social media
- Video games
- Eating junk food
- Reading/watching clickbait news or TV shows
These all want to grab us and never let go. Not only are we more vulnerable late in the day, but these activities are highly addictive.
Tips:
- In the evenings, I learned to lock my smartphone in a time-locking container (kSafe)—no more scrolling in bed. Screens give off blue light, which stops melatonin production, our brain’s signal to go to sleep. Blue light-blocking glasses help but don’t block all the light.
- Stop viewing screens approximately 2 hours before bed.
- I do my best not to eat large meals before bed. Eating a large meal less than 2 hours before bed will disrupt sleep (I recommend Matthew Walker’s Book Why We Sleep to learn more tips for proper sleep).
We need a proper “rev down” to sleep well, so I prefer to read in dim light, play a little piano, and then sleep. Avoid destructive temptations!
What matters is what you DO with your day, not what time you wake up.
We can’t judge people based on when they wake up. Just because someone wakes up at 4 a.m. doesn’t mean they’re productive and happy. And just because someone wakes up at 11 a.m. doesn’t mean they’re unproductive and unhappy. The opposite could be true.
The most significant point is this, is their day fulfilling? What are they doing with the hours they’re awake? It’s what we do each day that matters. Emphasize the evening routine to start mornings on the right foot.