News:

To return to the forum homepage, please click the banner at the top of your browser.

Main Menu

The 5 am Club

Started by Sam, December 22, 2019, 08:01:30 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Sam

Hello Everyone!

In the post: The Average Net Worth For The Above Average Person (https://www.financialsamurai.com/the-average-net-worth-for-the-above-average-person/)

A reader commented:

"After reading many of your articles, I am genuinely curious how an average person is supposed MAX out their 401k and some how magically save up for invest in RE and still figure out to pay rent and live some what of a life. Could someone please explain to me how this would even work ? I feel like something needs to be sacrificed, Im not a doctor nor lawyer nor someone that makes over $100k.

Any advice would be appreciated."

I've received plenty of similar types of comments before, mostly from younger readers who find it impossible to save more and invest more to build their wealth. I have written in depth about the importance of grinding it out in your 20s and 30s to set yourself up for a great life in your 40s and beyond.

Examples:

https://www.financialsamurai.com/achieving-financial-independence-on-a-modest-income/https://www.financialsamurai.com/maxing-out-your-401k-is-a-choice-on-an-average-income/
https://www.financialsamurai.com/average-vs-recommended-expenditure-on-housing-food-transportation/

To simplify the process of building wealth, I want to start The 5 am Club. Because no matter what I write, there is one thing that I think helped me build wealth more than anything else: getting up by 5 am to work for at least a couple hours a day BEFORE going to work or or taking care of my children.

If you work for two hours a day on something productive every day, over the course of the year, you will work 730 hours more than the average person who does not get up early to work before work. You might get so hooked on your progress that you will work an hour or two hours after work as well. It is almost impossible not to see progress after a year of commitment.

If you want to join The 5 am Club, then you simply have to sign up, bookmark this forum, wake up by 5 am for at least five days a week, and highlight what you've done during this time at least once a week.

Your goal is to work at least an extra 10 hours a week on being more productive all year. If for whatever reason you slack off one day and wake up at 6 am, simply work an extra hour or however many hours it takes to stay on track.

You don't have to be smarter or more skilled to get ahead. You just need to be committed to doing more than the average person.


The 5 am Club will start on January 1, 2020.

Regards,

Sam

Regards,

Sam

DRW

I'm in. I started waking up @4a in September to study to re-take the GMAT. I fell off a month or so ago so this will get me back on track so that I can get these apps going. The plan is to keep this habit going even after the test is done and the acceptance letters are in.

Sam

Quote from: DRW on December 22, 2019, 03:02:49 PM
I'm in. I started waking up @4a in September to study to re-take the GMAT. I fell off a month or so ago so this will get me back on track so that I can get these apps going. The plan is to keep this habit going even after the test is done and the acceptance letters are in.

Excellent! I don't expect many people to commit, but I plan to do so all 2020 and it's good to have you on the ride.

Ideally, I'd like to have 5-10 people stick around all year. I'm sure good things will happen.
Regards,

Sam

J.R.

Hi Sam-
I'll give this a go as well.  In fact, after seeing your post yesterday, I decided to do a "dry run" today and see how it goes.  (I understand you weren't starting this until 1/1.)  I usually get up at 6:00 (Eastern Time here).....got up at 5:00 today. Went through my entire normal routine, just started it at 5:00am instead.  So now I essentially have added an extra hour to my first half of the day....my more productive half of the day.

I think the accountability factor is going to be important.
-JR






Sam

Dec 23 Week - Let's Go!

12/23/2019 - Got up at 4:50 am and published https://www.financialsamurai.com/proof-getting-ahead-is-about-production-not-skill/. Sent out e-mail blast and social shared post on various networks.

Need to update old education-related posts with new copy from a new ad partner.

Update posts from 2013 and older.

Take care of little one starting at 6:30 am - 8:30 am.
Regards,

Sam

Field8

Count me in as well.  (Except I'll be waking up at 4:30 because I usually wake up at 6:30). 
Here is a list of activities I'll do with my extra two hours:
1.  blog
2.  exercise
3.  wash dishes/clean my apartment
4.  study for the GMAT
5.  write eight presentations for a class I've always wanted to put on at Continuing Education at the university
6.  money management
7.  teach myself astrology
8.  meditate
9.  study my aviation textbook
10.  do my Red Cross online training
11.  In the summer of 2020 I hope to be taking a interior design staging course.

Yes I have too many things going on.  I think 2020 will be the year to try a bunch of things and see what sticks.

griesrt

#6
I'm down for this.  This has been a goal of mine for a while. My aim was usually to wake up this early to exercise but this is the best time to work because you're less likely to be contacted this early to do things.  I talked to a friend last week who is in the 3-4am club.  I have no idea how he does it this early but he said that the benefits are huge.  I have about 3 things going atm.  I have a new real estate product that I've been working on with a friends.

Shannon

Count me in! I'm an early bird by nature and have some goals I want to achieve this year, so this will be a great accountability measure. I'm going to broadly focus my two early hours on financial matters, which I'm currently thinking of in 3 categories. These may change as we get moving, but for now:

1. Something Old: Moving forward with my existing list of to-dos relative to work and finances.
2. Something New: Bringing life to new ideas that change my current landscape of work and finances.
3. Something for Others: Accounting for what I did in the course of the week to help someone else.

I'll be back after the holiday week and look forward to getting started with you on Jan 1st!

Snake_eyes

#8
I'm in !!

I'm going to set Quarterly goals. Two per quarter. I used to be pretty good with setting yearly goals and hitting them, but life got busy (kids haha) and now I don't even bother setting up goals.

I read about the effectiveness of quarterly objectives vs annual and The 5am club seems a great fit to go along with this approach.

Sam

Fun response from a newsletter reader:

This made me chuckle,

I built a business that eventually made more over $4M over eleven years while being a full time Stay At Home mom.

People asked me how I did and I always told them two things:

1.  I wake up at 5AM and everyone else in my house sleeps until 7AM.  I work on my business for two solid hours every morning.

2.  I don't watch television.

BOOM.
Regards,

Sam

J.R.

So, I see a few people mentioning goal setting.  Are you guys doing any formal planning or goal setting?  My mind starts to go to "new years resolutions."  I have never made new years resolutions and do not intend to start now.  Maybe I have the definitions wrong.....and maybe I'm drawing too fine of a line.....but I'm distinguishing between goal setting and task planning versus resolutions.  To me a resolution is something like "join a gym and work out 8 times per week."  I don't have a gym now and am not working out now so this isn't going into my 5am Planning.

That doesn't mean I shouldn't be exercising....of course I should be.  But the 5am club FOR ME is about doing the things I'm already doing better.  I've invested in real estate already.  But I haven't achieved the level of record keeping that I'd like.  I will address this at 5am.

One of my kids is in high school and doing college planning.  I want to work on helping find scholarships.  I've done some of this already but need to keep at it.  I want to see if I can offset a significant part of college cost with scholarships.  I will address at 5am.

I'm thinking of writing a "manifesto" of sorts of the things that I plan on working on and achieving in 2020.  A little more formalized goal setting than I have done in the past.  The 5am hour is when I'd envision making meaningful progress on these goals.  I've even thought perhaps of having the manifesto be a live document that I use to track and record progress and adjust the goals throughout the year.

Anyone else formalizing their goal setting?

Thanks,
JR



Sam

J.R. - I definitely have goals for 2020. The 5 am Club is a process. I believe if we follow a process where we're waking up 2 hours on average before the world, we will reach our goals.

***

got up at 4:50 am this morning and got my new 2019 year in review post out and gotta do some podcasts before year end to keep up my one a week streak!

Cheers
Regards,

Sam

torpan72

#12
I'm going to try this.  I am not an early bird by nature but realize that life is catching up and I am always making some sort of excuse to not get things done.  Want to change this mindset for myself and the benefit of my family.  Have two small children now and realize that the mornings before work are the best times to get personal things done.  I have 2 main goals for 2020:
1) Regular Exercise
2) Study for CFA Level 2 - which I have put off since forever!

For the exercise part I'd like to shed approx. 1-2 pounds a month.  I feel that is a realistic goal but nothing will happen if I keep hitting the snooze button in the mornings.  I feel that this forum can motivate me to stay on track.  Wishing everyone the best for 2020!  :D


JARoss01

I'm in....this is a great idea.  Preparing my sleep patterns to adjust to 5am by Jan 1st.  My goals are to 1) Get control of my mind and direct energy and intentions towards my conscious desires;  2) Become a better trader by making money in an up, down or sideways market; 3) Find real estate properties I can purchase and flip for profits.

MC4H

Does having a baby count as commiting to wake up at 5 am? ;D My plan is to sleep less since my body will be used to it anyways and focus on adding one skill and focus on building my blog in 2020!

Sam

Quote from: MC4H on December 27, 2019, 05:23:53 PM
Does having a baby count as commiting to wake up at 5 am? ;D My plan is to sleep less since my body will be used to it anyways and focus on adding one skill and focus on building my blog in 2020!

Absolutely! I remember when my boy was born, I forced myself to work for 1-2 hours in between feeding in the dead of the night. He helped productivity! LOL

Congrats!
Regards,

Sam

Austin

I'm in.

I've been struggling in finding time to get more things done. I've been trying to wake up earlier with varying success. I think "The 5 am Club" is just what I need.

I have about a hundred things I'd like to pursue, but I think for now I will focus on one: building a side-business.

I look forward to getting up early with everybody!

novarealtorMNM

Read this from a link in the newsletter and started getting up at 5am for the last 4 days.

As a realtor, no client is awake at 5am lol so I use 5-7am to research and educate myself about real estate, work on my podcast (two eps./mo.), and get myself pumped for the day.

Activity and skill win the day. I'm ready to win the YEAR!  ;D

Sam

December 30, 2019 log: told myself that my 2019 Financial Samurai year in review post would be the last post for the year, but because I was getting up before 5 AM, I had more free time on my hands and decided to write about how the Secure act will help retirees at the margin. Post is out, is helpful, and seems to be doing pretty well.

If you're a business owner, finishing the year strong is really starting the year strong because you get paid for your December work in January.

Once you've got the momentum, the rest of the year gets easier. Let's go!
Regards,

Sam

newalker0407

Hi Sam,

I'm in. I've already put together a list of goals I intend on accomplishing this year, and can't wait to read about the progress everyone has made!