There are stories of Elon Musk sleeping on the floor in his office, sometimes on a couch. I think he uses it as a tool to avoid becoming too comfortable and losing his mojo.

Consistent intensity is rare.

So rare that you have to intentionally protect it.

“A little sleep, a little slumber… and poverty will come” — Proverbs 24:33.

Yes, we need rest. But don’t turn rest into a long vacation, because that’s how you slowly dull yourself.

You see this same thing when people grow older. They let adulthood kill the intensity they had when they were younger. It even affects their taste, they begin to tolerate certain really bad situations and products. You start to notice the dullness, the slowness to execute. They cover it with “maturity,” but the truth is they’ve lost the energy to do certain things. They grow up and become exactly like the people they used to criticize; not because they wanted to, but because they lost intensity.

Bob Dylan has a line in Forever Young that I really love:

May your hands always be busy

May your feet always be swift

May you have a strong foundation

When the winds of change shift.

Curate situations that keep you alert. Situations that stop you from becoming too comfortable. Be like Elon, create your own version of sleeping on the floor. It’s a powerful tool.

It’s like fasting. Not because you don’t have money for food, but because you’re intentionally denying yourself something to stay sharp and healthy. 

Just some thoughts.