From Here to Autonomy

Who Can Live on Airplane Food Alone? When Life is Up in the Air

Up in the Air, starring George Clooney, as I was sure to relate to the lead character's obsession with airline loyalty program status (see some examples of said obsession on my blog Pause). I did chuckle at the parts where Clooney is comparing loyalty program perks with another road warrior/paramour. I thought to myself, Lord that's how I sound sometimes. Though I have much less of a need to reach the 10 Million Mile Club. That sort of honor would make me feel like I really don't have a life, and at some point in my travels I realized perks were not badges of honor, but simply ways of enjoying the less-than-ideal situation of spending time away from home.

There were parts that unexpectedly resonated with me. The Northern Wisconsin restaurant where Clooney meets his sisters for a rehearsal dinner before his younger sister's wedding was eerily similar to one I went to last year for my cousin's wedding in Wisconsin. The tech conference Clooney crashes with a colleague and a woman who becomes his no-strings attached hookup could be Ad:Tech (loved the inclusion of Young MC here as the nostalgia-inducing act). I've also honed my security screening routine to an efficiency that's less balletic than the film's version, but not dissimilar.

(Spoiler alert: if you are more interested in underlying messages than plot) Clooney's character not only has client engagements while on the road--he is a gifted speaker who talks about how to live "without baggage". His topic justifies the way he lives. His physical home, where he spends only a sliver of his time, looks different than you would imagine a businessman to have: It's spare, almost dorm-room-like in soulessness. It reminded me of an extended stay suite, only more empty. Clearly this character has not invested in, nor cared to have, a personal life. A series of random events makes him aware of this imbalance, and he feels the pain of being disconnected.

I am lucky to have a family and network of friends who stay in my life, but certainly, while single, I had no desire for connection. Perhaps I was a late bloomer; I had different priorities from others my age, who seemed to live for their weekends, were saving up for houses, and wanted life partners. I just wanted a promotion. My work was my connection, and I was good at it, while being less good at relationships outside of work. There were always people around, I was hardly lonely. I assumed that being good at work would address all of the other areas that were being neglected--in due time. This doesn't happen. It happens when you decide it will.

I see many real-life foils to Clooney's character who make work and life work, perhaps not with the balletic efficiency Clooney's character has while packing his bag and embarking on the next business trip, but with far less regret.

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Are People Who Sleep Less More Successful?

Early in my working life in New York City I read a feature story, I think it was in the Times Business section, about the sleeping habits of top-performing media executives. The common thread among all of them: They slept no more than 5 hours a night. Most slept less. This tendency to not sleep was positioned in this article as a competitive edge, even a requirement to being successful.

I remember feeling discouraged. I had been slogging it out at magazines and was looking for some way to distinguish myself, but I wasn't an early riser. As a teenager I often slept until 10 or 11 in the morning. An early-bird class I had one semester nearly did me in. In college, I dropped the one class I had that began before 10.  I was fortunate to work in an industry where people ambled in between 9 and 10am. I never minded working late.

But the luminaries in this article--many of whom I forget now, interestingly, though I do recall book publisher Judith Regan--often worked long hours. A typical routine: Wake up at 4am; jump on the treadmill (these folks had the money and the space in their Manhattan apartments to have exercise equipment in their homes, something I aspired to have); shower and get dressed; read all of the dailies; and still manage to get into the office before everyone else.

For a while I tried to wake up early--around 6am--to fit in a workout before going to the office, but the effort was short-lived. My body much preferred working out in the evening and the scramble to and from the gym took too much time. I loved to read, but I could never get through all of my material on a subway ride. I figured I was just too inefficient and lazy.

Years later I still wonder how it's possible to hold to this kind of schedule. I work longer days now, but I can't function if I can't sleep at least 6 hours (insomnia notwithstanding). If I have to get up early for a meeting, or to catch a plane, I'll get up; I have to. But it's been only recently that I've accepted that all things being equal, I prefer to sleep in.