In The 5 a.m. Club, Robin Sharma explains that forming a new habit typically takes 66 days. Inspired by this, I began my own journey, focusing on foundational habits: prayer, meditation, exercise, and reading. At first, everything moved along smoothly. But then allergies struck and threw off my exercise routine for about a week. Still, I pressed on—occasionally listening to audiobooks and podcasts, though my consistency with reading began to waver. Eventually, both exercise and reading slipped further down my priority list.
Much of this shift had to do with how I approached my morning prayer. I was using two apps that guided me through the daily Gospel reflection, three Scripture readings, and the Rosary. While spiritually enriching, the routine took around 50 minutes to complete. As a result, exercise and reading began to take a backseat.
This led me to one of the book’s key insights: focus on adopting one habit at a time. That concept truly resonated. I chose to prioritize prayer and meditation, and I’m proud to say I’ve been consistent with my prayer time—up until just yesterday. Technically, my routine was disrupted. But I still prayed with my wife and son that night, and that moment of shared prayer kept the daily practice alive. I count that as a win, even if it wasn’t at my usual time.
Now, after approximately 160 days, I can see how this journey has slowly reshaped my perspective on life. It’s made me more mindful, more grounded, and more intentional in my roles as a husband and father. Going forward, I need to develop a plan that allows me to weave prayer, exercise, and journaling into an hour—or an hour and a half—so I can better align with one of Sharma’s core ideas.
But I’ll keep reminding myself: one habit at a time. The journey continues…