The 5 am club

over a lifetime
.
“Longevity really is a key to legendary,” he reinforced. “This,” he told his
two appreciative students, “is one of the main keys to your rise to iconic. You
really must learn how to balance working intensely and brilliantly with deep
rest and recovery so you can remain fresh and strong over a long career. As
you do this, you won’t blow out your gifts by hyperextending them, in the
same way that some pro athletes blow out their knees—preventing them from
ever playing again. The geniuses all know and apply this remarkably
important principle.”
As the billionaire sipped sweet, dark coffee, he explained that what makes
the great men and women of the world exceptional, in part, is their
implementation of a phenomenon known as “supercompensation.” Just as a
muscle tears when you stress it to the edge of its capacity and then 
actually
grows during the pause of recovery
, your five assets of genius surge when you
actively push them past their usual limits and then allow for a period of
regeneration. Mr. Riley pointed to the framework on the paper and said, “See,
cats, the little-known key to terrific success over the long term lies in a simple
word: 
oscillation
. I mentioned it in São Paulo, but you’re both ready to go
deeper.”
“We definitely are,” declared the entrepreneur.
“Get this,” the billionaire said. “When scientists studied the great Russian
weightlifters, they discovered that the secret behind their undefeatability was
their work-rest ratios.”
“What does that mean?” asked the artist as the companions walked their
mountain bikes along a trail at the edge of a fabulous vineyard.
“Your growth happens when you’re resting,” replied the billionaire in a
straightforward way. “Makes no logical sense, right?” the billionaire went on.
“In fact, this productivity rule is one of the most central yet paradoxical truths
The Spellbinder revealed to me as I was building my global empires. The
mainstream thinking tells us that to get more done, we must put in more
hours. To achieve more, we need to do more. But solid research now confirms
that that kind of linear approach—‘work harder to produce better’—is
seriously flawed. It isn’t sustainable. It just leads to burnout. Exhaustion. Loss
of inspiration and the reduction of your private fire to lead the field—and

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enhance our world. That old-school way of operating also causes a visceral
depletion of the very human resources which, if applied intelligently, will
make you the master of your marketplace.”
“What you’re sharing reminds me of 
The 60/10 Method
,” remarked the
artist happily. He was dressed in the riding gear the billionaire had provided.
And, given his now daily practice of 
The 20/20/20 Formula
as a member in
good standing of The 5 
AM
Club, he looked significantly fitter, more focused,
more energetic and more self-confident than when he showed up at The
Spellbinder’s conference. His transformation was quite marvelous.
“Superb point,” applauded the billionaire. “And you’re right. Yet the
learning model I’m about to walk you through is so much more than that.
Today you’ll receive advanced insight on how to alternate work-rest periods
to generate exponential productivity. You’ll also learn how to have a blast
while you’re doing it. This morning you’ll discover how to work less yet
materialize more through what pro athletes call ‘periodization.’ After we’re
done, you both will be well beyond any superficial understanding of what it
takes to triumph in your sphere while living 
beautifully
for the rest of your
life.”
The billionaire pointed to the part of the learning framework entitled