Up in the air...

Taking off. Dreams ought to come true.

So many words said about the dual sensation the plan to go to Sochi creates. Today I know for sure that I am willing and will avoid expressing my views on the politics in Russia while speaking of the Winter Olympic Games 2014. Here is why. Sitting comfortably in a chair, thinking that Russia is no place for the Olympics, being concerned by misuse of budget, corruption, by the impact on the ecology and on the region's future is an easy thing to do. Had the citizen society been strong enough to rise against the very application of Sochi as he host city for the Games back in 2007, we wouldn't end up in an awkward situation having the population pay a huge price for the event and not being able to afford or not willing to attend it and support their fellow athletes. Lesson learnt: raising one's voice is key before things become irreversible. Flooding social media with opinions now, weeks or days before the opening ceremony is easy, while does not lead anywhere.

I've been dreaming of going to Winter Olympic games for some time now, no matter the host place. 2014 turned out to be the perfect time to make this dream of mine come true. So here we are on the plane taking us to Europe. We will be landing in Sochi International airport in 12 hours or so. Safety and security concerns pulsing in Canada go overboard. Some hockey players' families supposedly refused to travel to Sochi. Nevertheless, some journalists, volunteers, athletes' parents are on the same flight as us. I want to be in the Olympic park for the same reasons they are going. Except my cheek will be painted three colors :) and long months of the voyage planning are totally worth it.

And one more reason... I've never been to Sochi before, only traveled to the other side of the Caucasus. The view of the seashore and the white mountain tops must be marvelous.

Russian version

Never underestimate... or never overestimate...

Do people tend to overestimate or to underestimate? How to find out?

Being shy to send a plate when it tastes weird do we underestimate the class of the restaurant or overestimate our own patience?

Refraining from giving advice to a colleague do we underestimate own authority or overestimate the colleague's capacity to listen?

Skipping an exercise session after work do we underestimate the power of mind over matter or overestimate the burden the business day has brought?

Signing up for 66 projects to tackle in one year do we underestimate the time or overestimate our own dedication to these endeavors?

"Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year - and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!" -Tony Robbins

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." -Leo Buscaglia

...and a fact...

In 1943, Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, predicted that there was probably a world market for only five computers.

Experiment 1 - Minimize "idle time"

Time is a huge matter! I don't think I ever slept long hours in my life. Since my teen years I always had a feeling that sleeping an extra hour is almost a crime! - so much can be done in that hour that many would choose to spend in Morpheus embrace.

For all the ideas and experiments I want to run I need TIME. I got curious whether I can optimize the way my body rests – maximize energy recovery in the shortest time possible. Discipline Blogger Harris Kern suggests Minimize Sleep - You’ll Sleep Plenty When You Die My current sleep pattern is very inconsistent. Plenty of excuses for that - traveling, priorities, not enough time to finish clean up, a chapter in a book etc. Truth be told these excuses all come to one reason - lack of discipline. I presume with proper exercise routine, nutrition I could go as little as 5 hours of sleep a day and feel good and energized. Before I get there I need to get consistency in my current sleeping habits. At this point when I sleep is more important than how long I sleep.

I have split the experiment into two-week blocks. In the first two weeks I will make no changes to the number of "idle hours" but will stick to the same sleep time slot: 11pm - 6am. To help establish such routine some physicians advise to have a reminder (alarm) set up not only for the time we should get up but also for the time to go to bed. Otherwise there is always a risk to be carried away by all types of events, be it a TV show, a converstaion, or any housework. In the following phase I will be gradually reducing my sleeping time by 30 min every fortnight. If all goes according to the plan in 8 weeks I will be 30 min away from the target "idle time" of 5 hours per day.

P.S. On my first day of experiment it is obvious that the space for improvement is enormous :) I am finishing this post at 2:30 AM.

experiments about to start... == эксперименты начинаются...

• Few experiments planned in 2011... Level of expertise is very low or zero... Experience to gain - infinite... Expectations - optimistic!

• Несколько экспериментов в плане на 2011 год... Навыки - незначительные или "на нуле"... Обретаемый опыт - необъятен... Ожидания - самые оптимистичные!