What I Learned This Week – How To Get Out of the Maze

It seems like a good time to write about the importance of retreating from the highly demanding life that a lot of us monkeys lead.
When I’m working, I am at the office from around 8 till 8, am accessible when any markets we trade are open and am on call outside of that. All-in-all this is around 80hrs a week, which, for me at least, isn’t sustainable.
I suppose it’s for this reason that the industry has a high rate of attrition, however I’ve been lucky enough to recognise early in my career that it’s important to get out the maze, totally away from the day-to-day, relax and regain some perspective. So, here’s a list of five things I do to stay sane and productive:
1) Read: I prefer non-fiction and read a lot of books on history and economics. It gives me perspective, which is really important. For this same reason, I steer clear of news and current affairs (…and WSO?). Fiction’s not my deal, but if it’s yours, read that.
2) Cook: My physics prof at university always insisted that doing things that ‘use your hands’ was great to clear the mind and help with problem solving. I really enjoy cooking beause I can switch off the analytical part of my mind, relax and be creative. Eating well and being healthy comes as an added bonus.
3) Exercise: Whether it’s running, swimming, sex or surfing, I do something every day. When I get super busy, I do a bunch of sit-ups and push-ups in the morning and evening before I shower. I’ve always found it counter intuitive that exercising gives you more energy, but it seems to be the case.
4) Family: Just like the distinction between reading news and history, spending time with friends, particularly from the same industry or age, can be counterproductive. Family will almost always want to talk big picture, remind you to be patient as well as how successful and fortunate you are.
5) Me Time: Get comfortable spending time with yourself. I never really understood this until I moved overseas, but now I’m comfortable and enjoy doing things like travelling or eating out by myself. It often forces you outside of your comfort zone away from the security of your friend’s conventional wisdom. If your aspirations are on the buy-side I advocate this as being the most important personal quality to have. If you are reliant or the company and approval of others to be comfortable, you’ll never make money.