The Liquidity Brief team distributed an anonymous survey to two hundred associates in the early weeks of February. One hundred and seventy-three responded, which we are told is, by the standards of internal organizational surveys, an unusually high response rate.
On waking
A clear majority of associates wake between 5:30 and 7:30, which is, in the Committee's judgment, the time range that most closely corresponds to "civilized." The Brief team had expected the early-rising contingent to be larger. It is not.
First action
Forty-one percent of associates drink a glass of water before doing anything else. Twenty-four percent make coffee. Notable in the "other" category: three associates reported taking a brief walk before doing anything else. Two reported sitting quietly in a chair for ten minutes. One reported "writing one paragraph in a notebook, by hand, on a topic chosen the night before." This last response was attached to a follow-up note suggesting we publish a feature on the practice. We are considering it.
On phones
Nineteen percent of associates check their phone immediately upon waking. Forty-four percent do so within the first hour. Twenty-eight percent wait the first hour. The "not until after lunch" cohort, which represents nine percent, is in the Brief team's view the most interesting cohort the Club contains, and we intend to interview a small number of them for a future piece.
On breakfast
Twenty-two percent of associates intentionally fast through breakfast. Twenty-seven percent eat eggs in some preparation. The "other" category here was unusually rich. Selected responses, with permission: "two soft-boiled eggs, dipped in soldiers, eaten standing"; "leftover risotto from the previous evening"; "a single peach, when in season"; "a glass of milk, room temperature, no ceremony."
A reflection
The Brief team had, before reading the responses, formed an internal hypothesis that the typical Club associate would prove to be a creature of strict and elaborate ritual. The data does not support the hypothesis. The typical associate, it appears, has a few small, repeated practices and a great deal of latitude in between. This is, we suspect, more sustainable than ritual would be, and we are pleased to report it.
