It’s weird how much of our lives are on autopilot routines, and when we make a lasting change, we wonder why we didn’t do that before? I’m really trying to autopilot more of my life lately, with less decisions.
I stopped doing superior workouts (functional bodybuilding via Marcus Filly) that I paid a lot for, and started alternating regular CrossFit and yoga classes. Every time I went to my phone to check out the next exercise I was supposed to do during open gym, I had one more opportunity to zone out and slack off. Going through this everyday I started getting used to running out of time and not finishing most of my workout. The same thing with my stretching and mobility regiment. It’s so hard to be disciplined with that, and just showing up to yoga twice a week gets me more limber with the bonus of a different physical challenge. Since getting back to regular CrossFit and just showing up I’ve been feeling noticeably better.
My weight was on a steady trajectory up too, and it felt like it was taking a heroic effort to reverse the effects. Part of it was my lack of proper training, part of it is I’m not in my early twenties anymore, and of course the huge part was diet. Likewise with what I eat I’m trying to make less decisions. I now eat Greek Yogurt, an RX Bar, or a protein drink for a snack 2-3 times a day, and try to eat 3 square meals. It doesn’t work out perfectly everyday, but mostly hitting the mark I’ve taken off 6 pounds in the past week, and it seems to be continuing. I have a ways to go, and it’s still taking some focused effort, but moderating my carb intake (that’s the killer for me) is becoming more normal.
Meditation has been getting more consistent. I try and do it 30-45 minutes after waking up, usually after some tea. I started going more hardcore, with 30 minute sessions. If I miss my morning session I cut down to 10 minutes and squeeze it into the evening somewhere, just to keep the streak going. Along the not thinking part I signed up for an online beginners meditation course that teaches from the book “The Mind Illuminated” that I really like. I like meditation, but I don’t have the mental bandwidth to keep re-reading the parts of the book I forget, or looking online for clarification. I realized for a small fee I can just pay an expert to keep me on track and tutor me.
I’ve been reading way, way more. My girlfriend and I stopped watching TV and movies at night after not being too excited about anything, and read for 1-2 hours. I noticed that I get tired, and go to bed much earlier, vs. when we watched TV shows I could stay up for hours in a vegetative state. After a few weeks I did miss the shared experience, and we started watching something together every now and then.
I loved a book I just finished last week, “A Simple Plan” by Scott Smith. It’s a crime/thriller that is really intense in a good way. It gave me the same feeling as when I watched Breaking Bad; I had to keep reading because I needed to know what happened, but at the same time it was so intense that I wanted to finish it asap too.
It’s been busy in the crypto world, especially in my data science arena. I’ve gotten a second wind and some inspiration to explore new algorithms and ideas. I have a hard time switching my brain between writing and the world of statistics and code, but I’m embracing putting my motivations towards whichever one I’m feeling excited about. This past month I had some challenging financial swings that tested me mentally, and after coming out ok I realized how good I have it right now.
There’s been a few periods of my life where I’ve felt like I’m “really good” at something. Options market-making from 2006-2009, poker in the mid 2010s, and I’m getting there in the crypto markets right now. I’ve been holding back with my research and trading operation though for some reason, and not tapping into my potential. The hardest part for me is framing the right motivation. When I’m losing money I can channel all of the energy from the cosmos, but I become complacent when things are going well. Unfortunately without staying ahead of the curve things slowly stop working, and/or the game becomes so competitive that it’s impossible to win. My main scorecard is money, but I’m working on figuring out some fun challenges that excite me too. I use machine learning and write code for my programs now, but I know I could get a lot better. I have a laundry-list of advanced courses in Computer Science, Math, and Machine Learning that could only improve my abilities.
The cool thing with all of this is that I can learn this from anywhere in the world via online classes from top universities, and if I can figure out ways to implement new ideas in my trading I’ll be compensated to learn.
I’m going on a last minute trip to Colombia with my friend Ari next week (whenever I think I’m going to settle down for a few months is probably the best time to guess that I’m about to book a trip), and will hopefully get around to blogging over there. Leaving you with a pic from Ashtanga PR, a yoga studio I really like here in San Juan when we did “flow and glow” yoga last week.
Andrew Manser 