#Self-Management

Posts on managing your own attention, energy, and behavior under pressure.

April 8, 20264 min read

Your Work Introduces You

Years ago, when I first joined Tripadvisor, we had a tool that moved data to Amazon Redshift. One of the engineers went on holiday, the tool had a few bugs, and people were bloc...

January 2, 202610 min read

The Janus Protocol

In the Roman Forum, there was a small shrine with double doors. When Rome was at war, the doors were left open. When Rome was at peace, the doors were closed. It is an oddly mod...

October 3, 202510 min read

Stop Wasting Brainpower

How many times have you found yourself saying: “I worked all day, but I didn’t get anything done.” I know, we have all been there. We feel bad about it, too. On the surface, it...

April 6, 20258 min read

The Invisible Difference

There are plenty of skills you can pick up along the way. Some come from , some through experience. A lot of it is just trial and error. And some from . You figure things out su...

April 4, 20254 min read

Learning the Johari Window

When I wrote this piece on , I focused on the practical side: clarity, motivation, breaking down complexity. But here’s the thing. Even the clearest goal doesn't mean much if yo...

March 16, 20253 min read

Management is a Lonely Place

Yes, it is. If you’re in it, you already know. It sucks. You can’t talk to your boss about many things because, let’s be honest, they probably don’t have that much time to hear...

March 7, 20259 min read

AI Balance in Work

I use AI, you use AI, and almost everyone uses AI. I don’t think that’s going to change. But how should we use it? I’ve seen people turn five bullet points into three pages — I...

February 18, 202510 min read

Work-Life Balance as a Manager

As an IC, you close your laptop at 6 PM, log off, and forget about the work unless you are oncall. As a manager, you check Slack at 10 PM because someone might need you. Your ca...

January 6, 20244 min read

Confronting Life's Storms

Life isn't easy for anyone. Everyone finds themselves navigating through a series of unpredictable challenges. Our unique journeys get punctuated by challenges that test our res...

December 11, 20238 min read

Winning Eleven

Here's 'Winning Eleven,' my own mix of eleven key ideas that have helped me grow both at work and in life. This isn't your usual list of tips. It's more like a collection of rea...

October 30, 20234 min read

Embrace the Unknowns

Why do we often stick to what's familiar? It's simple: it feels safe. However, staying in our comfort zone means missing out on intriguing experiences. Think about the thrill of...

December 12, 201615 min read

How I Work as a Software Engineer

When I started out, I thought productivity meant speed. Ship fast, fix fast, move fast. Working in startups taught me something different. When everything around you changes con...