“Nothing, to my way of thinking, is a better proof of a well ordered mind than a man’s ability to stop just where he is and pass some time in his own company.”
– Seneca
One lesson this whole ordeal has taught me is how truly hard it is to slow down. I was a big proponent of large events getting cancelled, but wasn’t willing to stop preparing for them until they officially did. Now while this shelter-in-place may come as a shock to many, I think it’s a great time to reassess our current direction, reconnect with others, and be grateful for our current situations.
I spent some time writing out some things I wanted to commit to during this time in order to keep my sanity ? I’m embracing the challenges ahead and ready to adapt to a new “normal” for the next few weeks/months. Just sharing in case it inspires others to make a similar commitment!
- Fitness: This is where I had to reassess my goals. My Big Sur Marathon has been postponed, along with some other races that I was an ambassador for so I’m taking the time to shift my priorities elsewhere. So I’m keep my goals very simple.
- Run every day and pick up something heavy every day. (lately it’s been our dog, Autumn haha, but kettlebells work too :P)
- Be intentional and efficient in training: This is a 2020 goal I had overall. I’ve put an upper limit on the number of hours I spend in training/coaching. With no events in sight, there’s no excuse now.
- Stay in touch/motivate the various communities I’m involved in throughout the crisis (although you have to get creative!)
- Health:
- Red Light: Stretch/Read while using my Joovv: 10 mins every morning.
- Sleep: Shooting for 2 hours REM + 2 hours deep sleep per night. Monitoring HRV (heart rate variability) and body temp during sleep for signs of getting sick haha. Tracked via the Oura Ring.
- Nutrition: Intermittent Fasting >20hrs, 3-4x/week. Ample Meal every day. Cook one new meal / week.
- Other:
- Write every day (Gratitude Journal / WILT (what I learned today) Journal): This was a habit started in February – no reason not to stick with it now!
- Reading:
- My 2020 goal was to read or listen to 1 book every 2 weeks. I’m ahead of schedule at 1 book/week. My last 3 we can tie to current events:
Feeling Good: David Burns – There are topics in here that are applicable to everyone. Some can be applied to conflict resolution (with coworkers/family/spouse/etc.) and cultivating healthy relationships. Probably the most applicable part to me was the Achievement trap. Just think about how many people were working their way to a major milestone/event, to only have that suddenly cancelled? And how much of the reward is in the medal, the congratulations, the status and recognition etc. vs in the growth and the love for the process?
Food Fix: Mark Hyman – This is Mark Hyman’s latest book, this time tackling the policy changes that need to be made for our healthcare system to change. Everyone is talking about “flattening the curve” and, yes, that is our most urgent, pressing need at this moment. But imagine if our healthcare system wasn’t already near capacity and less people had the risk factors to turn COVID-19 more lethal? The book also has interesting insights on how factory farmed meat and processed frankenmeats (Beyond/Impossible Burgers) ruin our environment and the lobbying behind the nutrition law today.
AI Superpowers: Kai Fu Lee – Talks about automation first and then gets into the psychological impact of job loss on people and policy changes such as UBI, and how UBI alone would not be enough (hint: more compassion/purpose instead of just throwing someone a check). It looks like we’ve gotten to a similar end-point of job loss and UBI, but for a very different reason, and it will be interesting to see how the economy recovers, how people are affected, and which jobs come back.
I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!