The three boxes of life

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1. pdfernhoutJul 2018
   True. And as a feedback loop, lack of sleep causes people to be more anxious because the calming part of the brain is too tired to function well.

   Good sleep is also needed for the brain to process emotional situations to work through them. Sometimes the situation is so much that we wake up from that. The book on sleep by Matthew Walker has a section on treating PTSD and veterans awaking from bad dreams that they ultimately needed to get through to process their fears.

   That book also has some suggestions for getting more and better sleep -- many of which have been mentioned in replies to your post.

   They include things like:

   * go to bed and wake up at the same time every day

   * avoid caffeine from any sources after 2 pm (or depending on your metabolism, earlier or maybe even at all)

   * avoid alcohol as it interferes with good sleep

   * avoid electronic screens before bedtime

   * especially avoid blue LEDs before bedtime (use something like Flux on laptops)

   * have the bedroom be cooler at night

   * don't stay awake in bed -- get up and go back to bed when you are sleepy to associate bed with sleeping

   * avoid exercise or heavy eating for at least a couple of hours before going to sleep

   He even suggests setting an alarm as a reminder to tell you when to go to sleep.

   Here are some other ideas I collected for moving from depression onto an upward spiral of improvement: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15455259

   Of course, it is all easier said than done when you are depressed. Sometimes one small positive step can lead to another though. It helps a lot if you have a supportive community.

   Good luck!

   P.S. If you decide to change jobs, consider looking at idealist.org and also reading "Disciplined Minds" by Schmidt and "The Three Boxes of Life" by Bolles.

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2. skmurphyFeb 2009
   Anyone with an inquiring mind should pursue their own learning where their curiosity takes them. What is a "worthwhile endeavor" is difficult to judge at the outset.

   I would trust your own instincts and internal compass: if you are learning new things and feel "flow" when you spend time on this side project, keep at it. It will have some kind of impact.

   One good article worth reading is Peter Drucker’s "Managing Oneself" (available here http://www.amazon.com/Managing-Oneself-Harvard-Business-Clas... and a little Googling may turn up other versions as well) where he stresses the importance of learning how you learn.

   One good book on this is "The Three Boxes of Life" by Richard Nelson Bolles http://www.amazon.com/Three-Boxes-Life-How-Them/dp/091366858... which covers life work planning: the three boxes are education, work, retirement (play).

   In my own case I have always been a connector and cross-fertilizer, trying to apply insights from one field or area to another, sometimes where they hadn’t been considered before. There are many narrow specialists out there, you should absolutely feel free to follow your Muse as long as you are learning.

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