Sep 4, 2022Member-onlyThe Inspiration DeficitWhy So Many Young People Still Crave More Challenging Work — I’ve talked to hundreds of people about their careers and aspirations over the past few years. The common theme: people are hungry. They want more interesting work, more ambitious environments, better leaders, and more chances to step up. These people are littered all over the world: India, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan…Work7 min readWork7 min read
Jul 7, 2021Member-onlyDrunk In My TwentiesDid alcohol keep me from asking deeper questions? — I stopped drinking for the second time when I moved to Taiwan. I never planned to quit. It just happened. I went to night markets instead of bars, met my now wife who doesn’t really drink, and slowly the desire disappeared. I found this fascinating. The first time I quit…Drinking10 min readDrinking10 min read
Published in The Startup·Jun 17, 2021Member-onlyThe Case for Sabbaticals and Why We All Need a Break from WorkA step back from work can help recharge your batteries and give you a fresh perspective on work and life — After I quit my job in 2017 I spent 5 weeks in Europe. It was the longest break from the “real world” I had ever taken and in the second week, I started to feel extremely guilty. I became hyper-aware of the script in my head that said I should…Work14 min readWork14 min read
Jan 27, 2021Member-onlyHow Strategy Consulting Helped John Legend In His Music CareerThe alumni of top consulting firms are part of all types of organizations around the world. Consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG can claim world leaders, public company CEOs, heads of non-profits, entrepreneurs and even musicians. These firms produce many impressive alumni because they tend to recruit and attract…Consulting7 min readConsulting7 min read
Published in Reimagine Work·Dec 29, 2020Member-onlyThe hard-to-describe Magic of Wu-Wei (無為)Non-doing is uncomfortable but worth it — I rolled out of my twin bed and stumbled into the common room. As I started the coffee maker I started thinking about my day and had a feeling of emptiness. I had nothing to do. It was sometime in early September in 2018. I had just moved across the…Work7 min readWork7 min read
Dec 8, 2020Member-onlyAn Ode To TravelReflections on living & traveling abroad the last two years — What follows is a transcript of a video I created reflecting on the last two and a half years of travel at the end of 2020. I’ve been living and working as a digital nomad living in several different countries since 2018. Three years ago my friend said I…Travel3 min readTravel3 min read
Published in Reimagine Work·Oct 26, 2020Member-onlyAspiration, Meaning, & The Traps of AmbitionA Book Review of Agnes Callard’s Aspiration — To others, I made a bold decision to quit my job and chart a different course in 2017. Yet in my own experience of the event, there was no singular moment or decision made. …Productivity12 min readProductivity12 min read
Published in Better Advice·Oct 13, 2020Member-onlyHustle Traps: Ten Guaranteed Paths To Burnout For The Self-Employed CreatorStarting your own business is a secret dream of many and with the emergence of more clear paths to make money online, many knowledge workers are deciding to test the waters of self-employment and entrepreneurship. In making such a leap many people hope to increase the amount of freedom and…Hustle14 min readHustle14 min read
Published in Better Humans·Jul 19, 2020Member-onlyThe best 15 tips on working remotely your boss doesn’t want you to seeDuring the initial months of the Covid crisis you were bombarded with tips about how to optimize your day while working online and how to be more effective than ever while multi-tasking zoom meetings, slack chats and conference calls. For many, working remotely is unsettling. They start questioning their relationship…Work7 min readWork7 min read
Published in Reimagine Work·May 19, 2020Member-onlyMatt Mullenweg’s (CEO, Automattic) Five Levels Of Remote WorkRemote work is poorly understood and for good reason. What most people have experienced is merely being “allowed” to work remotely on occasion, having to stay home with someone sick in the family, logging in while traveling or waiting for the cable guy to install internet. While I am a…Remote Work7 min readRemote Work7 min read
