I Woke Up at 5AM For 30 Days - The Results Amazed Me

"It's either going to break you or it's going to change your life."

That's what I told myself when I decided to try waking up at 5am for 30 days. Spoiler alert: it changed my life, and I couldn't be happier about it.

Unlike many things in my life, this habit started completely by accident. "Wake up early" was on my vision board for 2025; however, I was thinking about 6/6:30am (surely not 5am). Up until the end of May, waking up early was a true struggle for me.

So what happened?

Honestly: I was jet-lagged (for real!). After returning from a trip to Malaysia, I started accidentally waking up earlier and earlier. At first it was 6:30, then 6, and then, before I knew it, I was naturally waking up at 3am.

But here's another interesting thing: for about a month before I started my 5am routine, I had been taking cold showers every morning. I believe there might be a connection between these two habits. Cold showers trained my brain to do difficult things and push through discomfort. This mental conditioning made waking up at 5am a challenge that, although difficult, I was still able to conquer.

All of this was made even easier after reading "The 5am Club" by Robin Sharma. I saw that online opinions are a bit divided on this book, but to me, it was definitely a life-changer. Its inspirational style and actionable advice gave me a new way of thinking about my potential. It really motivated me to improve my life.

My morning routine

"So, what do you do in the mornings that is so transformational?" I hear you ask. To be honest, nothing particularly innovative or that hasn't been said before. As with most things, what works is usually the most basic.

Exercise - exercising first thing in the morning gives me a burst of energy that makes me feel like I could conquer the world.
Reading - in the morning I usually choose a self-development book that motivates me, inspires me, and helps me grow.
Meditation and visualization - that help me connect with my highest self and visualize my goals.
Journaling - which helps me clarify my current goals, set intentions for the day, and release any negative emotions so that I can set myself up for success.

Overall, my mornings became my sanctuary—peaceful, quiet, and entirely mine. There's definitely something magical about having that time to enjoy your own company and gain clarity before the world demands your attention.

The results

After talking about how transformational all of this was, I feel I need to be more specific about what I actually got out of it.

Better stress management - before starting to wake up early, I was going through a particularly stressful period and was feeling burned out. My Oura Ring was tracking my stress scores, and I noticed that my stress levels were lower on the days I woke up earlier.
Better mental clarity and sharpness - my thinking feels clearer and more focused, which has resulted in improved quality of my work.
Increased creativity - I have noticed that new ideas flow easily. I feel I was more creative in this last month than I have been for years.
Content creation breakthrough - after being in a YouTube dip, I am finally seeing some small growth again, and I feel this is due to the increased inspiration and creativity as well as the additional focus I'm putting on my work.

The Challenges

I am not here to sugarcoat this journey—waking up at 5am is hard. It still doesn't feel natural or easy to me, even after 30 days. I'm still in the process of making this truly stick.

However, the biggest challenge for me was to still get 7 hours of sleep while waking up at 5am. Being in bed at 9:30pm was very hard for me, especially after a shift at the hospital. Sometimes, I barely had time to chug my dinner and rush to bed. Until very recently, I was only getting six hours of sleep, which was definitely adding up over time and impacting my physical health. I am still in the process of finding a routine that would allow me to maintain a 5am wake-up and still sleep the hours I need to feel my best.

So, in order to make this habit sustainable, this is what I'm planning to do:

Leave work by 5:30pm maximum
Have dinner finished by 7:30pm
Make time for relaxation and quality time with my boyfriend
Prioritize getting a full seven hours of sleep

Conclusion

Morning routines are no revolutionary concepts, but there's something about the way these practices compound that creates real transformation. The peace, clarity, and sense of accomplishment you get from conquering your morning sets the tone for conquering everything else.

Waking up at 5am is hard, but, as Robin Sharma says, "all change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end." In a world where we seek comfort a bit too much, doing uncomfortable things might be your competitive advantage that sets you apart from everyone else.

If you're wondering whether you should start waking up at 5am, I would suggest: just try. It's either going to break you, or change your life.

Lessons learned

If you don't try, you'll never know - spending time thinking about the pros and cons of a new habit you want to implement or a change you want to make in your life will only prevent you from taking action. Just try it out and see if it works for you.
Comfort might just destroy your life - in our modern society, we're so used to comfort that we try to run away from anything uncomfortable. Embrace discomfort and build up your resilience—you'll be amazed by the things you'll be able to do.
Small changes can lead to great results - we might undervalue the impact that small changes can have in our life long-term. But remember that everything compounds, and it's up to you to choose whether you want to compound positive or negative habits.
Change is hard, embrace it, and reap the fruits later - as Robin Sharma said: "All change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end." Going through a difficult journey is just a sign that you're doing something right. Don't shy away from it—the final results might surprise you.