Defeating the Sunday Scaries

Over the past year or so I’ve noticed a certain phrase surge in popularity: “The Sunday Scaries.” If you’re unfamiliar, it’s that Sunday afternoon feeling of dread as you mentally prepare to say ‘farewell’ to your blissful weekend and begrudgingly usher in a week of responsibility. This isn’t anything new for most people, but the creation of a name to express the feeling has lead me to reflect on its power over one’s mood, and specifically how that feeling disappeared from my routine. You heard me right, unbeknownst to me that feeling faded out of my existence over the past year. Upon noticing its absence I decided to explore the changes to my routine that I believe helped alleviate the scaries.

You may be wondering “Does this guy provide financial advice to new puppy owners?” or “does he work five hours a day?” The obvious assumption is that “he must love his job.” You’d be wrong if you guessed the first two (I haven’t even seen a puppy in months :( :(), and you’d only be partially correct if you guessed the obvious third choice. I absolutely do love my job, but not all of it and not all the time. Only a saint could love his job all the time. Even puppy sitters have to deal with stepping in doo-doo on occasion. Besides, despite moving to sunny California for a dream job in Silicon Valley, the scaries still creeped up on Sunday afternoons for my first few months here just as they always had. Although finding purpose and passion in your work are important components, for me the defining factor can be found in my morning routine.

First things first though, before blindly applying a new routine you should explore why exactly your scaries exist. If your job sucks and literally anything sounds more appealing than subjecting yourself to that cubicle for one more day, I’m not going to be much help to you. My solution applies more to the “I like it and it’s fulfilling, but I’d sleep in and watch Netflix if I could” crowd. Your scaries likely exist for one reason more than any other: scarcity. Our weekends are so enjoyable only because they’re temporary. This becomes obvious when you look at a long weekend or vacation where you have sufficient time to “waste time.” This past weekend I was off from work Thursday through Sunday and watched an excessive amount of tv due to rainy weather in SF. By the time Sunday rolled around I wasn’t exactly craving my cubicle, but I was pretty burnt out from excessive media consumption. As my long weekend progressed each episode of Westworld, New Girl, and Mr. Robot that I plowed through had diminishing returns. My friend Luke likes to draw on a scene from Troy when abundance or scarcity occurs. In this particular scene, Brad Pitt’s character reveals a great secret about how the gods perceive their human subordinates: “everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed.” He states that the gods envy humans because our lives are temporary. Each sunset we see is cherished because it could be our last. In much the same way, if every day were the weekend few days would be special. This insight brings me peace of mind on Sunday afternoons and has lead to an increased focus on the factors I can control during my transition back to the work week.

Throughout high school, college, and for about a year in the working world my morning routine looked much the same. If I needed to get up at 7am I would set my alarm for 6am and hit the snooze button repeatedly for an hour. My justification being the hour transition would allow me to ease into waking up. Knowing I had more time to sleep turned me into a junkie and the snooze button was my drug. Waking up early to realize you have more time to sleep is one of the most soothing feelings, and I was manufacturing that feeling every day. When that first, second, and third alarm went off I felt incredible, but by the time 7am rolled around I was going through serious withdrawal. When tempted by the choice of floating back to dream world or getting on with facing the day, the stark contrast caused me to despise the latter. In reality, facing the day wasn’t awful at all, it just seemed that way as long as I remained horizontal.

I wish I could give myself more credit, but I believe ridding myself of the scaries was entirely a product of normalizing my new routine upon moving to California. If you’re familiar with the Bay Area, then you know driving down the 101 is a nightmare during 95% of daylight hours. As a result, living in San Francisco and working in Palo Alto lead me to adopt a schedule many would never consider. To avoid the worst of traffic my alarm goes off at 4:45am every morning so I can be on the road by 5:25 and sitting at my desk by 6:00. As I was accepting this reality in preparation for my first day I never considered setting my alarm at 3:45am, instead, I aimed to maximize efficiency.

My nightly routine before an early morning always looks the same:

• Start preparation for bed around 8:30pm
• Pack laptop and other work materials in bag
• Lay clothes out on desk chair
• Place full water bottle on nightstand
  • This is hugely important. Chugging water is the first thing I do after my alarm goes off. Super simple, but amazingly effective.
• Organize toiletries
• Pack lunch
• In bed by 8:45pm

The routine is simple, but it makes all the difference and you don’t need to get up before 5 for it to be effective. When I first started my new routine I placed my alarm on the other side of the room, forcing myself to get out of bed the second it went off. Although I’m no sleep expert, I’m convinced not allowing myself the fading comfort of the snooze button has been crucial to my success. Back in my junkie days it would take me an hour or more to start feeling awake, but now I feel sharp in a matter of minutes. The alarm goes off, I chug water, grab my clothes, and hop in the shower. The combination of eight hours of sleep, immediate re-hydration, and water on my face lead me to feeling normal by about 4:48am.

Other than perhaps amount of time slept, all of the variables I’ve described are incredibly easy ways to keep your routine healthy and consistent. Upon grasping the importance of this routine, I quickly transitioned to confidently calling myself a morning person. In fact, mornings are freakin’ incredible, you guys. With proper bodily maintenance, mornings are the time your mind is at its sharpest and your inhibitions at their lowest. Here’s my list of things that I’ve found to be incredibly more enjoyable and productive during a fresh early morning:

• Retaining information from a nonfiction audio book
• Listening to new music
• Tackling a complex planning issue
• Writing creatively
• Editing work completed days prior
• Memorizing
• Reading ANYTHING!

Discovering the power of a consistent morning routine has been huge for my productivity and mental well-being. Ideally, one should keep the morning routine consistent on weekends too, but I won’t try to impress advice upon you that I don’t follow myself. You can get by allowing yourself the flexibility to stay up late on the weekends as long as you allow yourself your proper amount of sleep. It’s not ideal, but that’s reality.

Beating the Sunday Scaries requires upfront work in normalizing a productive morning routine, but if you can turn that time into something you look forward to then the scaries will cease to exist. In fact, by the time Sunday afternoons roll around I’m often looking forward to getting back into the more productive weekday mindset. The first step in defeating the scaries is to realize that it’s not possible to do consistently with sheer will power. Just like working out, you need to get yourself in shape before it becomes an enjoyable experience.

Luke & Joe: Norway 2016

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”

— Terry Pratchett

Two of us - Joe and Luke - decided to take a trip to Norway during the last week of October. It was a wonderful experience that gave us a chance to spend some serious time reflecting on our personal and professional goals, as well as continue to cultivate our strong friendship.

We chose Norway for two reasons:

From an economic standpoint, Norway is one of the most interesting countries in the developed world.

Tiny Norway, with a population of 5 million, is home to the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund which has a total AUM of just under $900B USD. Funded by Norway’s large amount of oil revenue, the fund invests in 9,000 companies and has investments in 75 countries, according to their website.

What is also interesting is the huge role Norway’s “Council of Ethics” plays in how the fund is invested. Excluded on their long “black list” are tobacco companies, producers of nuclear arms, creators of severe environmental damages, and human rights violators to name a few. This enormous amount of wealth also allows Norway to be extremely progressive in the department of providing subsidies to its citizens for the use of clean energy such as electric vehicles. For a while the bestselling car in Norway was California’s own Tesla Model S.

Norway is also one of the most beautiful countries on the planet.

Byrkjelo 

These two reasons were more than enough to spend some quality time stepping away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life to take a deep (cold) breath.

Oslo:

Oslo is Norway’s capitol and largest city. We spent two days exploring this city, where we had a few drinks and made some friends.

Grünerløkka Neighborhood in Oslo

One aspect of the trip that went well in particular was the balance between planning and spontaneity.  We had a general plan as to where we were headed: from Oslo to Bergen then a bit further north, concluding the trip back at Oslo. There were a few fjords we wanted to see; however, we also left a few days unplanned. This allowed us to take advantage of recommendations by our Airbnb hosts and explore things that caught our attention as we were going along. This balance between uncertainty and planning is a tricky one. It is natural to want to eliminate uncertainty. Traveling to a foreign country where we didn’t speak the native language and had limited cell phone use certainly involved risk. Despite this, several of the most interesting sites we saw were possible because we did not plan everything out.

While in Oslo we were also fortunate to visit the Viking Ship Museum. It was very humbling to see these colossal boats that traveled incredible distances across the bitter cold Atlantic.

Naturally, probably trigged by the enormous amount of passion the Vikings had, a fair amount of time on the trip was spent discussing career and personal development. It is helpful to reflect on these ideas in a different setting than one is accustomed to because it allows one to think from a different perspective. As we have written on this blog before, bringing about change involves three things: changing one’s environment, changing who one spends time with, and changing one’s routine. Traveling results in all three. In particular, changing one’s environment allows one to have a more objective view and can bring about thoughts that might not occur otherwise. It was helpful to think about career and personal development from a bit of a different viewpoint

Bergen:

Bergen is Norway’s second largest city and is surrounded by mountains and the country's longest and deepest fjord, Sognefjord.

Overlooking Bergen

We were in the city of Bergen for three days. Our first day started with a wonderful hike to the top of Fløyen, one of the city’s mountains that overlooks Bergan city centre.

Throughout this hike we discussed a lot pertaining to the concept of uncertainty.

Just like with traveling, uncertainty involves risk but also can offer potential rewards. It is a natural tendency to want to eliminate risk. In the past risk represented life-and-death danger. While this is no longer the case – most of us don’t have to worry about where our next meal is coming from – the fear of uncertainty is still there. As a young person, however, certain risks are worth taking for the potential reward. The entrepreneur and investor Gary Vaynerchuk notes the following about this:

“If you are 22 years old, regardless if you’re graduating from college or not, there are two things you should keep in mind. The first is to acknowledge that you are entering some of the greatest years of your life. The second is that this is the moment when you don’t go practical — don’t take the “safe” route. This is NOT the time to get the job Mom always wanted you to get. This is NOT the time to try to maximize as much money as you can make so you can save up to buy a sick ride. This IS the time, however, to realize that you have a five-year window (three for some, eight for others) for you to attack the life that you want to win.”

One of the fundamental principles of the world is that risk and reward go hand-in-hand. More importantly, there is no such thing as a risk-free reward, even if the only risk is the opportunity cost of something else. The key is to take calculated risks when the potential reward makes it worth doing so.

We also took a day trip to an old secluded village by the name of Undredal. Like many cities in this part of Norway, it was virtually inaccessible, apart from boat, prior to the completion of a series of tunnels punched through the mountain ranges. Some of these tunnels are over 10 miles long.  

Undredal

Undredal has a population of 100 people and 500 goats. They make cheese and is home to the smallest Stave church in Northern Europe. A Stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church; this one was built in the year 1147. Old here means something completely different than it does in the United States. 

Undredal Stave Church

Fjords:

Geirangerfjord

Several days of the trip were spent exploring various fjords. A fjord is created when a glacier carves a sharp narrow valley which is then filled with water. The steep sides of the land around the fjord and the stillness of the water were particularly noteworthy. The magnitude of the fjords are tough to put into words, but they are remarkable.

Alexander in India encountered some gymnosophists (literally “naked wise men”) yogis, sitting in meditation in the sun on the banks of the Indus. Alexander’s party was trying to get through the busy street, but the yogis had their spot and they wouldn’t move. One of Alexander’s zealous young lieutenants took it upon himself to chase the holy men out of the king’s path. When one of the wise men resisted, the officer started verbally abusing him. Just then, Alexander came up. The lieutenant pointed to Alexander and said to the yogi, “This man has conquered the world! What have you accomplished?” The yogi looked up calmly and replied, “I have conquered the need to conquer the world.”

                                                                                   -The Warrior Ethos, Steven Pressfield

Eidsdal

This is one of our favorite stories. We discussed a great deal on this trip the importance of self-awareness before focusing on any external goals. This anecdote is especially powerful because the exchange is occurring between two individuals that from the outside perspective could not seem more different, further separated by all imaginable measures of success, brilliance, and power: Alexander the Great vs. some naked Indian yogi.

This trip provided a tremendous opportunity for self-reflection and acknowledgement of weaknesses in order to identify areas for improvement. We spent a great deal of time engaged in conversation but also a good amount was spent self-reflecting. Joe continued his streak meditating (he has meditated for 283 days consecutively), Luke had the opportunity to read a write a great deal while completely removed from his routines and comfort zone. We continued our quest towards identifying our own version of “conquering the world”.

Geirangerfjord

We discussed the following books:

•  Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut
•  Jesse Livermore - Boy Plunger: The Man Who Sold America Short in 1929 – Tom Rubython
•  Secret Life of the Mongols – Anonymous
•  A Short History of Nearly Everything – Bill Bryson 
•  The Power of One – Bryce Courtenay
•   Moonwalking with Einstein – Joshua Foer

We listed to the following music:

• The Life of Pablo

Finishing Touches: Your Final Preparation for the CFP® Exam

Feeling Stressed

I'll never forget how I felt on the days leading up the CFP® exam.  I remember the stress I felt and the confidence I lacked.  Unfortunately, if you're anything like me, those nerves you're feeling won't go away until you finish the exam.  On the bright side, if you're feeling worried or anxious right now, you should know that those feelings are completely normal, especially since your exam is right around the corner.

By now, although you may still have plenty to learn, most of the heavy lifting is done and now you're focused on polishing your skills.  As far as what specific material to cover, I suggest you take a look at the 12-week crash course.  Aside from the material itself though, it's time to start preparing your strategic game plan for the big day.

Polishing Your Game Plan

While there's no way to know which exact questions you will be tested on or in what order they will be presented, there are a handful of non-technical things you can prepare for to be in the best position for the exam.  Aside from the mountains of study materials you've been engulfed in for several weeks now, here are the other things you should plan for before exam day:

• A.M. Practice Questions:  If your exam is scheduled to begin in the morning hours, then you'll want to make sure your brain is used to being 'awake' and ready to go in the morning.  For people with crunched schedules who can only study in the evening time, this one may be a difficult concept to swallow.  In the spirit of training for the right race though, I'd suggest preparing yourself for what the big day will feel like.  In this case, that means practicing in the morning for your morning exam.

• Know Your Route to the Exam:  My boss gave me this idea and it was a game changer.  A few days before the exam, he suggested I head to the testing facility, as if I were about to take the exam that day.  I was able to learn how long the precise commute was, how much traffic there was, and which route I would take.  Ultimately, I eliminated a few surprises and learned what time I needed to wake up at to get me there on time.  On the actual exam day, my mind was fresh, not frazzled from traffic, and ready to begin.

• Sleep & Wake Up Time:  Since we know what time our exam will begin (and what time we need to be at the testing facility), we can figure out what our optimal time is to wake up in the morning.  What time should you wake up?  That depends on your life and schedule, but at a minimum, you should start waking up at the same time you will be waking up on test day.  So, if you need to be at the exam center by 7:30am and you need to wake up at 6:00am to get there on-time, then 6:00am (or before) is your set time.  Do this every day for 2-3 weeks leading up to the exam; this includes weekends (disclaimer: sorry to the recent college grads for making you wake up early on weekends).

• Breakfast:  For those who don't eat breakfast usually, I will suggest you break your no-breakfast rule for the weeks up until test day - calories & energy are crucial.  I suggest eating the same (or relatively similar) meals every day up until the exam.  The main goal is to make sure that if you do eat breakfast on test day, your body will be completely used to digesting whatever you fed it, avoiding any discomfort during the exam.  Hunger is not a distraction you can afford.

• Caffeine:  I'm a big coffee drinker and consume it every morning, so I should mention it for the other addicts who read this blog.  The same way you plan for your breakfast (as discussed in the previous bullet) is how you should plan for your caffeine intake.  Whatever your routine is during the weeks leading up to the exam, make sure you do it on test day too.  Also, plan to be done drinking your morning beverage by the time you get to the testing center.  On my test day, a young man in a suit walked in with a fresh cup from Starbucks.  Then, the exam center employees immediately made him throw it away.  If he ever ends up reading this blog post, just know that this paragraph was written for you - R.I.P. Venti Pike roast.

• Lunch: Pack Your Lunch:  I'm sure there will be a Chipotle (AKA: old faithful lunch stop) across the street from the exam center, but you need to play this one safe and control the situation by bringing your own food.  At the testing center, they usually have small lockers where you can store your belongings, including your lunch.  Similar to the previous note about breakfast, you need to eat a lunch that your body is used to; meaning if you eat turkey sandwiches every day, don't pack Indian food - keep it consistent.  The other benefit to bringing your own food is that you save (precious) time; you won't have to worry about finding a restaurant or waiting in any lines.  The most reliable option is to rely on yourself.  

• Wild Card: Afternoon Caffeine:  Admittedly, I drink a ton of caffeine; I drink coffee in morning, then get some more after lunch.  My own caffeine levels are probably bad for my long-term health, but this piece isn't about overcoming addictions, it’s about passing one of the toughest certification exams out there.  If you're someone who also consumes afternoon caffeine, similar to packing your lunch, you might want to pack extra caffeine as well.  Personally, this one was tricky to think through, since I'm used to having access to a Keurig machine in my office (which I clearly wouldn't have on test day).  So a couple weeks before the exam, I practiced drinking one of those Starbucks Double Shot canned drinks in the afternoon (to get my body used to it).  I say "practiced" because I did notice it had a slightly different effect on me, compared to my usual afternoon dosage.  Whatever your poison is, make sure you're used to it so you won't have any unfamiliar feelings during the exam.

• Breaks:  During the exam, you are allowed 1 short break (15 min) for each half of the exam; in total, you can take 2 breaks.  Whether you need to use the restroom or not, these breaks are a great opportunity to give your brain a short rest, stretch your legs, and sip from cold water from a water fountain.  I chose to take my breaks around the halfway mark of each half of the exam.  

• Ear plugs:  At my testing center, they provided some headphone options, but I didn't use them.  I brought my own ear plugs that I had been practicing with for the entire week leading up to the exam.  Ear plugs aren't for everyone, so I’d recommend getting your own pair NOW and seeing if you like them or not.  You don't want exam day to be the first time you practice wearing foreign objects in or around your ears.

• Try not to study on the day before the exam:  This one is easier said than done, especially if you're genuinely feeling under-prepared.  At this point, though, you've likely covered much more information than you realize.  So save your mental energy if you can and try to be fresh for the marathon you'll be participating in the next day.

Basically, the over-arching theme is that you don't want any surprises on exam day, except for the exam questions themselves (which, hopefully, aren't too surprising for you by that point).  Whether it be ear plugs, caffeine, or food, you should control what you can.

Preparing like the Greats

Floyd "Money" Mayweather is considered to be one of the greatest boxing athletes in the history of the sport.  Within his nineteen year career, he fought in 26 world title fights, remained undefeated in all of them, in addition to ending several of those fights in the ever-elusive 'knockout' (meaning, he knocked his opponent down and they couldn't get up).  In preparation for his big fights, like many other professional athletes, Mayweather trained relentlessly for months leading up to the big day.  Each day was viewed as a new opportunity to improve his physical abilities, learn his opponent's strengths & weaknesses, and sharpen his strategic game plan.

I heard a story once that speaks to how well Mayweather prepared for his competitions.  On the same evening as one his fights, Mayweather invited one of his friends to visit and hang out in the training and preparation rooms before the match started.  But this was no ordinary sporting event -  it was the Championship match. Viewership records were shattered and crowds across the country were flocking to their nearest sports bar to catch a glimpse of who would come out victorious.  Needless to say, this was a high pressure event and pride was at stake.

When Mayweather's friend arrived, he naturally expected to see the entire team in intense focus, polishing each step of their fighter's game plan.  Instead, what he saw was Mayweather hanging out in sweatpants playing video games.

To most people, this may sound strange and eccentric.  But the reality is that, by this point, Mayweather's training was done.  He knew that an extra 60 minutes of training right before competition wouldn't move the needle too much in either direction.  So, instead, Mayweather focused on clearing his head and saving his energy for what really mattered.

With the CFP® exam, if you've made it this far, you've probably been training for months and are more prepared than you may be feeling right now.  Hopefully, by this point, you've covered the material and are in great shape.  From here, the rest is mental and confidence plays a huge role in how well you'll perform on test day.  The only recipe for success on the CFP® exam is preparation, so focus on preparing better than anyone else and you'll be on your way to victory.