5am Club Challenge: Wake Up at 5 a.m. and Do the 20/20/20 Routine
The 5am Club challenge means waking at 5 a.m. and spending your first hour on the 20/20/20 formula from Robin Sharma’s book The 5AM Club: 20 minutes of exercise, 20 minutes of reflection and 20 minutes of learning. The book frames it as a 66-day habit. Build it in GLIN and do it with a friend.
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| Length | 66 days |
|---|---|
| Category | Health |
| Rules | 4 |
| GLIN target | 4 points per day |
| In GLIN | Build it in GLIN with “I want to make my own” (about 30 seconds) |
The rules
- Wake up by 5:00 a.m.
- Spend 20 minutes on intense exercise ("move").
- Spend 20 minutes reflecting: journaling, planning or meditation ("reflect").
- Spend 20 minutes learning: reading, a course or a podcast ("grow").
What you track in GLIN
Create a custom challenge called “5am Club”, set it to 66 days, and add these actions:
| Action | Points | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Up by 5:00 a.m. | 1 | Wake |
| 20 minutes of exercise | 1 | 20/20/20 |
| 20 minutes of reflection | 1 | 20/20/20 |
| 20 minutes of learning | 1 | 20/20/20 |
Daily target: 4 points per day. Invite a friend, set your stakes, and you’re in.
Where the 5am Club comes from
Leadership author Robin Sharma popularized the idea in his 2018 book The 5AM Club. The core of the routine is the 20/20/20 formula for your first hour: move, reflect, grow. The book presents it as a habit that takes about 66 days to become automatic. GLIN isn’t affiliated with the book or its author.
How to set it up in GLIN
- In GLIN, tap I want to make my own, name it “5am Club”, and set the length to 66 days (or 30 if you’d rather start smaller).
- Add four actions worth 1 point each: “Up by 5:00 a.m.”, “20 minutes of exercise”, “20 minutes of reflection”, “20 minutes of learning”. Set the target to 4 points a day.
- Invite a friend who wants their mornings back.
- Set your stakes.
Because your partner gets a notification when you log, a 5:02 a.m. “Up by 5:00 a.m.” ping is a pretty effective alarm clock for them too.
Tips
- The 5 a.m. start begins the night before. Work back from 7 to 8 hours of sleep and set a bedtime alarm.
- Put the phone across the room so getting up is the only way to turn the alarm off.
- Prepare the night before: workout clothes out, journal open, book on the table.
- Protect the first hour. No email, no news, no social media until the 20/20/20 is done.
Prefer to use your fresh morning brain on work? Pair this with Deep Work 30.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 5am Club?
A morning routine from Robin Sharma’s 2018 book "The 5AM Club": wake at 5 a.m. and spend the first hour, which he calls the victory hour, on 20 minutes each of exercise, reflection and learning.
How long is the 5am Club challenge?
The book describes 66 days to install the habit, so that is the default here. Many people start with a 30-day version; you can set any length in GLIN.
How do I track the 5am Club in GLIN?
Create your own challenge, add four actions (up by 5 a.m., 20 minutes each of exercise, reflection and learning) worth 1 point each, and set a target of 4 points a day. Invite a friend who is also an early riser.
Do I have to wake up at exactly 5 a.m.?
The book says 5 a.m., but the principle is a protected first hour before the day’s demands start. If your schedule needs 6 a.m., agree on that with your partner and name the action accordingly.
Start 5am Club with a friend
Free to download. Invite a friend and start today.
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