Banker goals: ABCs and catching Z’s

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Banker goals: ABCs and catching Z’s

We’re eight months into the year, and I’ll admit that my New Year’s resolutions have fallen by the wayside. Although, in all honesty, my “plans” to cut back on the whiskey and take more exercise were more Tai Tai’s ideas than mine. But one friend of mine has – surprisingly – stuck by his goals.

He is your usual Hong Kong ex-pat banker so, as with many DCM types, he works too many hours and when he does have free time he’s likely to be found downing Macallans at the bar. But this year, he resolved to get more sleep, giving himself a target of adding 30 to 60 minutes a night to his typical sleep schedule. Like any good banker, he took an analytical approach, buying a smart watch to monitor his sleep data.

I expected his project to last a few weeks at most, but was I in for a surprise when we caught up for drinks this week. He proudly showed me his data, proving that on average he had added plenty more minutes of quality sleep a night. However, he did admit that he had to leave his cell phone in his living room to avoid the temptation of sending out late-night emails.

As an added benefit, my friend has also managed to take up a new hobby, becoming a voracious reader before hitting the bed, although he did sheepishly admit that this new reading drive is only starting to make up for the 10 years or so in his 30s when he never once cracked open a book.

Perhaps I should make it my new goal to finish a book. As Tai Tai frequently points out, I’ve been reading the same chapter of War and Peace for the last 10 years. But hey, it’s not my fault I’ve never had a sleeping problem!

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