Big is a man of habit. He wakes at exactly 5:50am no matter what. He is in bed by 10:30pm. He eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner (he is not much of a snacker though he can be tempted, on occasion, by sweet things.) On Saturday he takes care of household errands, including grocery shopping, laundry, and other household miscellany.
He has kept this schedule since the day I met him. It amused me and fascinated me when I observed it. How could he stand it, I wondered. How could he live like an automaton?
My ignorance about his nature was blessedly short-lived. I came to see that the routine supported the adventurous person he really is: the brilliant, blowing-out-the fuses creative genius. Furthermore, when framed through the Enron prism, I’m amused to discover that he shares this consistency with other executives.
I have received emails from Enron executives timestamped 5:30am on a Saturday.
“Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and
original in your work.” Gustave Flaubert