True Confessions of the Productivity Obsessed
As of August 25, 2026, I have 19 continuous years sober from alcohol. (My “belly-button” birthday is August 23, and my chronological age is a tad north of 19.)
I think it’s great that there are so many nonalcoholic options these days besides fruit juice, soda, and club soda. For years my go-to drink was club soda with lime, which looks like a G&T to anyone who is scared of people who don’t drink. (These people generally drink too much themselves – most people who can handle their booze really don’t care if others drink alcohol or not.)
Early sobriety was tough – booze was my second best friend, after my beloved dog. But over time, as I got farther and farther away from that last drink, it got easier. I peeled away some of the layers of the onion to discover the underlying reason and worked on myself as a person.
In a way, I’m grateful that I realized I had to stop drinking. I became a better JJ as a result of getting sober, and I’m not sure whether I would have otherwise. It’s possible that I would have done this work at a later date, but who knows. Which is not to say I’m done growing and learning, either.
If you’ve got a substance use disorder (and alcohol, along with nicotine and caffeine, is a drug just as heroin is), you can get used to a lot of things. Terrible hangovers, never seeing anyone because you’re too busy at home drinking, and all kinds of things. Any ideas about Future JJ having difficulty due to years of drinking didn’t really affect me, because I don’t even know her.
I stopped drinking before I lost my job, house, and relationships, but that’s not true of everyone. What is true is that you have to want to get better, and all the interventions won’t help if there isn't a part of you that wants to get clean. It doesn’t have to be a major part, but it has to be there somewhere.
One of the reasons I eventually got into the whole process of recovery was that I had watched a show on cable (this is back in the early 00s) that talked about the damage alcohol does to your brain. Although at the time I was still a financial planner and hadn’t launched a business yet, I still recognized that my brain was my primary asset as a knowledge worker.
After I saw the show, I thought, oh no! For whatever reason, the announcement that my brain could be in serious danger from my drinking made me think seriously about getting into recovery.
And as you know, I now talk about the brain as essential to sustainable productivity. To having a life you love in addition to the business you love. If you’ve read my stuff, you know I discuss the importance of brain maintenance, which include the following:
Rest, including enough sleep each night
Nutrition
Exercise, or physical movement on a regular basis
Fun, including hobbies and other enjoyable activities
Socializing (less for introverts, more for extroverts)
Not only do these recharge your brain now, they also help keep your brain active and stave off things like dementia.
There are some genes that make people more likely to have Alzheimer's and/or dementia, but there are people who don’t have the gene and still end up with these diseases. Lifestyle is a big factor in a lot of health conditions.
I was talking to a friend of mine whose mother is suffering from dementia. After we got off the call, I ran across an article about dementia and thought I’d send it to her. (Dementia is really tough on other family members, not just the one suffering from it.) But of course I read it first.
The article talked about these lifestyle-type issues that can lead to dementia in the absence of genetics. I figured since I do most of the brain maintenance described above that I’d be fine.
I walk three miles every day, and a few days a week I lift weights. I even joined a gym a few weeks ago and got a personal trainer there while I was at it, since it’s too hot for me to lift at home where I normally do it.
I mostly get enough sleep – I regularly journal so I cognitively offload most of the thoughts or feelings that would otherwise keep me awake. I’m learning cello and improv and I do puzzles at night. I have a book club and a handful of other things that provide enough socialization without making me want to hide out and avoid peopling for a week.
The one thing that I regularly, actually often, fall down on is the nutrition. I’m not an idiot, it’s not like I’m eating a large Big Mac meal every day and wondering why I’m overweight. I know what my brain needs but I don’t always follow through. I eat fruits and vegetables and protein, it’s just that I load on junk food on top of the healthy stuff.
The article I mentioned talks about the lifestyle issues that can lead to dementia. One is high blood pressure, which I’ve never had a problem with. I always assumed it’s because I get exercise every day.
But, I do experience some of the issues that are highly correlated with dementia.
Obesity – oops.
High blood sugar – I haven’t crossed over into diabetes, but I flirt back and forth with pre-diabetes. (My mom had prediabetes for years until she finally crossed the line, and I would prefer not to do that.)
High cholesterol – I’ve always had high cholesterol, but now it’s high enough that I agreed to a statin. My good cholesterol is high, which is good. Unfortunately my LDL is also high, as is my apolipoprotein, and high values on those are no bueno.
I’ve got some work to do! This coming year I’ll be working on my health. I’m at the age where you can’t just let things slide or assume they’ll get better by themselves. The maintenance now is work!
So, if you’re missing one of the brain maintenance steps, you’re not the only one! Don’t feel bad, but get to work.
And if you need help with some of the other steps, let me know – I can help.
Cheers to another year!