Dear Dad,
What’s your favorite business expense tax write off as a 1099 lifetime filer? I have a new suggestion (though not official legal advice 😀).
Three weeks ago at lunch we were talking about my upcoming argument in front of the New York Court of Appeals and the new suit I decided to buy to celebrate the occasion. As a business owner you instinctively suggested that I “write the sales price off as a business expense.” I had to remind you that as an employee I have no such luxury. But it made me think that if I were an “independent contractor” under the tax law there is one item above all else that deserves the designation of “business expense.”
Running Shoes.
If you don’t write off running shoes then you’re not using them right. I promise that if you lace up your shoes, leave your phone and earbuds, and go for a walk or run of over 20 minutes you will come back with a fresh perspective and new solutions for any problems taking up space in your mind. If you need a plan to bring in the next big client? Go for a run. If you need to organize your upcoming schedule? Go for a run. If you want to impress people with your memory, do some studying then go for a run.
When I was in law school I read an article on John Roberts, before he was the Chief Judge of the United States, he was a litigator who regularly appeared before the Supreme Court. The article noted how impressed all the Supreme Court Justices were when attorney Roberts would step up to the podium without any notes and make his argument, never break eye contact, and cite to the expansive record all from memory.
I decided that if I ever got my chance I was going to take a page from the John Roberts playbook. Well, last week I got my chance (kind-of, the New York Court of Appeals is the New York state version of the Federal Supreme Court). Without a note, and all from my memory, I stepped up to the podium. I wish I had a memorizing superpower, but I can accurately inform that I had the next best thing—many cold dark mornings with a treadmill and a pair of running shoes. Each night I read and studied, then the next morning while on the treadmill I reviewed in my head the material from the night before. No music. No TV. Just a breathy rhythm, a blank wall to stare at, and some active recall.
“Active recall” is a study technique that enhances learning and long-term memory by actively retrieving information from memory, rather than passively reading material. It involves forcing your brain to work harder to recall information strengthening memory pathways and improving comprehension.” And regular exercise will “significantly benefit memory and cognitive function by promoting blood flow to the brain, stimulating the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and even increasing the size of the hippocampus, a key memory center.” So, basically active recall combined with exercise is a super power.
If you want to change how you think. Buy some running shoes. If you want creative solutions to your problems. Buy some running shoes. If you want to grab facts out of thin air. Buy some running shoes.
Then put them on and go run!
With Love,
JSR
P.S. “Oyez Oyez Oyez, All having business before this Honorable court are admonished to draw near.” My Court of Appeals Argument (The argument is about the appellate standard of review for a new sentencing reform law…fun stuff!)
