Episode 12: Sandy Xu

Welcome to Episode #12 of the Focus and Chill podcast. We’re lucky to have Sandy Xu as our guest today. Sandy is passionate about the transition to net zero carbon emissions. She is a renewable energy analyst, convenor of the Sustainability Book club, and obsessed with finding low-carbon running shoes. She’s also Jeremy’s wife.JN: What projects are you concentrating on during your focused hours?Modelling in Python, not clayForecasting prices of electricity to make sure that Studying Masters of Data ScienceEV battery longevityHow about the rest of the time? What do you enjoy doing in your off time?Sustainability book club (quarterly):Books:“Together we can”“The big switch”“Dark Emu”What does your morning routine look like and how has it evolved over time?Muse: meditation headsetIs it neurofeedback?Journaling:Free writingStructured:What am I grateful What am I excited aboutAnkiData science flashcards, e.g. what is cross entropy?Habit StackingMeditation / Journaling / HIIT (5 mins) / Anki (5 mins) / DataCamp (10 mins)JC: What do you do to optimize productivity during your working hours?Energy management > time managementPeak performance in the morning: tackle difficult coding tasks first thingEnergy slump after lunchNaps helpAnother peak in the early evening: studyTime blocking: book meetings with herself so that other people can’t interrupt her during deep work Body doublingDistraction blocking using Focus BearPomodoro techniqueChanging locations (go to the library)JN: How do you switch off at night?Reading booksEvening journalingHow the day wentPlan for the next dayHow do you stop studying from eating into switch off time?Prioritize setting tomorrow’s tasksShutting down computers/devicesHot shower/foot spa in the eveningJC: What habits do you want to remove from your life? Inconsistent morning routineOvercoming fear of startingExcuses to not do things in the morning / kick them to the eveningTo don’t list:FacebookWeChatYouTubeJN: What resources (books, philosophies, apps) do you find most helpful for productivity and habit formation?Books:Atomic habits, ClearHabit StackingTiny Habits, FoggWhen, PinkCollection of Chinese aphorismsApps:Forest: can’t use the phone while focusing though doesn’t work on the computer that wellFocus BearJC: Where can people connect with you or find your work?Meetup page for Sustainability Book clubLinkedInJC: Do you have any final words or asks for our audience?1. A long journey starts with a single step