Shallow Thoughts

Even if my children manage to sleep through the night, I still have to contend with mother nature:

The thunder scares my dogs into a frenzy, and they try to knock down the gates that keep them in the non-carpeted areas of the house. [Dog #2 was rescued from a breeder and never got 100% housebroken.] The only solution is for me to sleep in the guest room with them at the floor by my side. I don't know why, but for some reason they're ok if they're in the same room as "alpha dog". It's just one of those things I have to deal with as a doggy Daddy.

Deep Thoughts

Today it finally dawned on me exactly how poor sleep affects my productivity - it essentially shifts me from a proactive mentality into a reactive mentality.

For certain types of jobs, a reactive mentality isn't the end of the world. When I was an equities facilitation trader, the job was almost by definition reactive - my primary role was to act as counterpart to a client's buy or sell order, and then unwind the long/short position in a way that minimized risk and maximized profit. I would start the day with a general understanding of the mood of the market, and then just react for the next 6 hours. I had that job when my daughters were infants, so I was able to take care of night feedings and still function well the next day.

Unfortunately, my current job (and most skilled jobs) require creativity, engagement, and analysis - all of these necessitate a proactive mentality. If I'm exhausted and working in reactive mode, my interaction with a sales associate will sound like this:

What would you like me to prepare for this technical demonstration to Client X?

If I'm well-rested and working in proactive mode, my interaction with a sales associate will sound like this:

I've prepared a demonstration for Client X based on the use cases they described in all our previous conversations. I think we should focus the conversation on aspect Y since it aligns well with global initiative Z at Client X. What do you think?

I'm the same person preparing with the same colleague for the same sales pitch, but the approach for the proactive/reactive mindset is completely different. Something I need to work on this year is developing tactics for shifting my mindset from reactive to proactive regardless of how much rest I've had - I'm sure some magic combination of caffeine, exercise, meditation, and to-do lists can get me there, it's just a matter of sorting out the recipe.

To be continued. . . someday. . .

Daily Stats

Cash: 13.2%
Core: 74.4%
Explore: 12.3%
Workout: Kenzai Kettlebell Day 12 + 40min dog walk (the rain finally stopped!)
Alcohol: New Belgium Fat Tire
Supplements: Zinc 30mg, Magnesium 450mg
Sleep: midnight to 6:45am, broken by lightning dogs, very tired

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