What is the upgrade?

I would totally crush it if I were Phil Connors in Groundhog Dog.

I'm an optimizer. I see things how they are and want to make micro improvements to make them better.

If I had to live the same day over and over again, sure I'd have to go through the sanity check phase, but then I'd like to think I'm take a similar approach as Bill Murray. Meticulously iterating on every moment of the day until it is fully optimized.

Thankfully (maybe?) I don't re-live the same day over and over again in Punxsutawney, but I am always looking at the best places for optimizing and upgrades. My optimizer had been off line for a bit as the pandemic began, but it's peaking its head out again.

In Atomic Habits, James Clear neatly articulates this optimizer mentality with his graph "The Power of Tiny Gains." If we get 1% better every day for a year, we are over 37 times better than where we started. And if we get 1% worse every day for a year, we are at 3% of where we started. Quite the swing.

Currently, I'm optimizing my morning routine during this "Shelter in Place" phase. Little tweaks and tests here and there and we'll re-find that magic.

Obviously, it's not attainable to actually achieve that 1% gain every day, otherwise I'd be flying and walking through walls by now. But it is a wonderful aspiration. Squeeze the juice out of each and every day in a way that makes Phil Connors proud.