The principle of recovery is important for all performance professionals, if not so dramatically as in football. In performance, we push beyond our comfort zones, and that effort taxes us. A great example is willpower. When we've focused and made critical decisions under pressure for an extended period, that willpower runs out of power. We become fatigued, and in the fatigued state we're more likely to make mistakes and fall into old habit patterns that cost us money.
Imagine a person who works nonstop planting grass seed and becomes so exhausted that they fail to water the areas they planted. We can wind up pushing ourselves to the point where we fail to water ourselves. We fail to take the time to renew our energy and that takes a toll on performance.
We often hear that traders should plan their trades and trade their plans. Less appreciated is the importance of plans and routines for recovery. What are you doing on evenings and weekends that renews you? Of the four main sources of well-being, which ones are you cultivating in your time away from markets:
* Happiness, and doing things that are fun and enjoyable
* Satisfaction, and doing things that are meaningful
* Energy, and doing things that energize you mentally and physically
* Relationships, and doing things that bring you closer to the ones you care about
A good recovery plan should include healthy eating, high quality sleep, and activities that check all four of the boxes above.
It's the watering you do at night and on weekends and holidays that allows your career to blossom during the work day.
Further Reading: A Personality Questionnaire for Traders
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