Improving Focus in Investment Banking
Hi all, I just hit the desk (IB, NYC) and have had little trouble with the technical/conceptual difficulty of the work. However, as basic/simple as this may sound, I'd love advice on maximizing focus at work. This is especially relevant in banking, as many of you know, where certain projects seem to drag on endlessly and uselessly, you get little sleep, and often begin zoning off throughout the day. How do you all maintain focus to power through and get the most out of your time at the office?
I already meditate and I drink a substantial amount of tea daily. Looking for specific tips in approaching work, mental training, etc. Not too interested in Adderall suggestions or the like. Thanks!
In no specific order:
workout in the morning prior to work
eat a balanced breakfast
arrive 30-45 minutes before peers to prioritize work streams, get a handle of your schedule and begin work uninterrupted
consider an alternative to green tea such as coffee
keep meals light throughout the day; stay hydrated; if buying lunch, purchase outside of building in order to force activity and fresh air
take advantage of opportunities to walk the floor/use standing desk
+1 the work out If you can get it as a routine, its one the best things you can do for yourself. I could probably write a paragraph but its something you have to experience.
1+ breakfast But everyone is different so I am going to plug for intermittent fasting. It is also handy because breakfast is always a rush and I would rather spend time, money and calories on lunch or dinner.
1+ Green Tea I like Matcha, keeps me more alert than buzzed and has no crash. Also you can drink it hot or cold.
I write lists and use the Pomodoro technique for estimating how much time tasks will take.
I've got one word for you: Adderall
Two words for you: slippery slope
I think it’s important to get into the right mindset. There’s obviously numerous ways to increase your productivity, but it’s helpful to take a breather and think for a second and adjust your mentality for what’s ahead in the day (I.e., a fire drill, churning out tasks, organizing and distributing, etc.) - it creates the correct sense of urgency and focus required for a situation
Aside from that, I think it’s helpful get organized (desk, inbox, make a list of to-dis, etc.) and stay light/active (stretch out, have your waters ready, eat a light lunch, etc.) to keep you going through a
Workout in the morning with a workout that contains synephrine and caffeine. This will keep you going for about 6 hours straight wired. Then take 800mg of piracetam when you get in and 1600mg of piracetam after lunch. Stack that with 250 mg of citicholine every morning, ashwagandha, and ginseng pills as well. You will be a beast.
ashwagandha is magic
Tell me more...
bookmarked. Is this how you operate? I'm trying to lower my caffeine dependence drastically
Do you also do coffee enema's at your desk?
In no particular order: Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water, Stay active by working out. Make time for fun so you avoid burnout. Eat a healthy diet Step away from work for 5-10min - go for a walk outside Take plenty of vitamins
Lots of great ideas in here in the comments.
You're right on that it's about getting specific to getting your mind focused and absorbed in your work. I found this for myself in banking and the buyside, and it's something I work on a lot with banking and particularly hedge fund clients.
IMO and experience, meditation and other general ideas aren't enough and I agree with you that it's about specific mental training. Just like the gym conditioning your mind for focus.
Over years I've written on these topics a lot and have built specific tools for training focus which you can get free on my site. These are some of the solutions:
this article is specifically on mental conditioning.
this audio recording is a tool I built called the house of flow which is designed specifically for what you are seeking—how do you at will put yourself in a flow state for getting deeply focused and absorbed
this research report we wrote in our consulting firm is for traders who want to approach their trading day like a pro athlete and it's loaded with processes and tools for optimizing energy and focus, etc.
on my site you'll also find other stuff on these topics but these 3 are most specific to your goal of quickly training focus
thanks for sharing
Caffeine tracker app. Makes it easy to monitor how much caffeine is actually in your system so you can stay properly buzzed without overdoing it.
Not a doctor but have done some extra reading on caffeine and it's surprising how high the safe levels are. Everything I've read says you can drink quite a lot without serious risks. So if it helps you a bit at normal levels and you're looking for that extra edge, might want to consider drinking more of it. With the help of the app.
which app?
Caffeine Zone is the one I use, I think there's a few out there and I've only tried that one. Works well for me. After a while I sort of picked up the pattern so I don't even really need it anymore, it helped me develop an intuition for what my levels are.
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