How I built my portfolio system and AI projects with a newborn
I used to think I was a productive person. I loved spending time alone reading psychology books and thinking about my life. That all felt very manageable when it was just me.
When I realized my son was coming, I panicked. How could I keep growing as a person while being there for my child? How could I balance my own goals with being the father I wanted to be?
The first month was rough. There was so much to do, so little sleep, and I felt like I was failing at everything. But slowly, we found a rhythm. I had to let go of my old approach and figure out what actually worked in this new reality.
With a newborn, I managed to build a multi-portfolio investment strategy, develop my AI trading recommendation engine, and work on several other AI automation projects. People ask me how I got all that done. The answer isn't working harder or sleeping less. It's working completely differently.
Working with Little Moments
The biggest adjustment was accepting that I wouldn't have long, uninterrupted stretches of time anymore. I had to learn to work with whatever little moments I could find. I started listening to audiobooks during quiet moments, reading articles on my phone while Flynn slept, watching YouTube videos while doing dishes, taking notes in short spurts throughout the day.
What surprised me was how these little moments added up. Some days I actually learned more than I used to in my long, uninterrupted reading sessions. It's not always perfect, and some days I get nothing done, but I've learned to be okay with that.
When I was backtesting different portfolio strategies, I'd run simulations in Excel while Flynn was sleeping or playing with Inwu. Five minutes here, ten minutes there. Over weeks, those fragments added up to months of solid research work that led to the portfolio system I use today.
Situational Habits Instead of Schedules
Time-blocking stopped working for me. I couldn't say "I'll read from 7-8pm" because that's when Flynn might need me. Instead, I started building situational habits using a simple "when this, then that" approach.
When I wake up, I read for the first 15 minutes. When Flynn goes down for a nap, I open my book. When I take out the trash, I put in my earbuds. When Flynn's asleep for the night, that's when I work on side projects like my AI trading engine or morning briefing system.
It's not perfect, and some days none of these happen. But having these flexible triggers means I don't have to think about when to do things. I just wait for the moment and act.
Cutting Things Out
This was the hardest lesson. I couldn't do everything I used to do. Something had to go.
For me, it was Twitch. I'd spend hours watching game streams, telling myself it was relaxing and helped me focus. But when I tried going three days without it, I realized how much mental space it was taking up. I had room to actually think again.
I still watch sometimes. I'm not perfect. But cutting that one thing out made room for what mattered more. That mental space is where I figured out the holistic portfolio approach, where I designed my AI council of perspectives for the morning briefing, where I solved problems with the trading recommendation engine.
What I've Learned About Productivity
Becoming a father changed everything. I'm not saying I've figured it all out, and most days I'm still figuring it out. But I'm learning that you don't have to choose between being a present parent and growing as a person.
With a newborn, I built systems I'm still using today: a multi-portfolio investment strategy that balances our family's financial future, an AI trading engine that processes information I couldn't possibly analyze manually, a morning briefing system that saves me hours each week. None of that came from long focused work sessions. It came from working with the time I had, building situational habits, and cutting out the noise.
Some days that works great. Other days I watch Flynn play and realize that's the only thing I needed to do today anyway.
For more on what I built during this time, check out Building a Strategic Portfolio System as a New Parent and How I built my own AI council to start every day.