Essays
58 articles matching this filter.
My honest review of GoalsWon after 6 months of accountability coaching—including what worked, what didn't, and whether the investment was worth it for staying focused on big goals.
A comprehensive review of FightCamp's home boxing system including the new console, trackers, and workout quality—is it worth the investment for at-home fitness?
My review of the 5-week, cohort-based writing course Ship 30 for 30, which I participated in four times.
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Every city would love to have a thriving tech ecosystem. But how do you build one? Where do you start? Here are some of my ideas.
Golf has become one of my favourite sports as of late, and in this post I break down how I'm going about improving my game.
This year was a weird one, but there was just as much to learn. Here are 9 things that stood out for me this year.
Why remote work will outlast the pandemic—examining the permanent shifts in how we work, the benefits companies have discovered, and what this means for the future.
We are terrible at managing our time. Here are two techniques I've found useful for helping understand the value of time.
We're all guilty of using jargon sometimes. It feels good, and shows expertise. But we should only be using it in specific situations.
Ten hard-won lessons about remote work from years of experience—covering communication, productivity, work-life boundaries, and building meaningful connections with distributed teams.
My 2020 annual review covering what went well, what didn't, and the biggest lessons learned—a framework for honest self-assessment and planning ahead.
There are three steps to a great annual review: reflect, brainstorm, and plan. This article outlines my process and includes a template with 50+ prompts for things to review.
Working in view of others is uncomfortable for everyone. But working transparently is by far the fastest way to improve and produce a great product. This post explores why you should be working transparently.
Lessons I've learned on how to live better from my 28th year, including the formula for happiness, how to set good goals, and what you should read.
Concepts, like a concept car, are important for communicating your vision of the future with customers and employees alike. They're also valuable tools for clarifying assumptions and details, and should not be overlooked.
This article outlines my general principles for consuming media, as well as my favorite TV shows, films, authors, books and blogs.
Packing light makes everything easier, simpler, and more fun. Find out exactly what I pack to keep things light when I travel for both work and pleasure.
All my favourite products for making travel, and staying rested while traveling, as smooth as possible.
Details of my morning routine, which includes 7 things I do to win the day, as well as my tips for creating your own morning routine.
Customer acquisition is usually the foremost topic on a founder's mind. This week was full of workshops, focused on various aspects of this topic. We also heard one of the most powerful Founder Stories of the program.
This week was the last "normal" week in Techstars, before the pitch practice madness begins. The final week was full of workshops, with the last workshop on Friday, and the topics varied from selling techniques, to common VC (venture capital) pitch mistakes, to PR (public relations) strategy.
Sales and efficiency were the key topics this week, with a workshop focused on sales, and some insights from the Founder Story.
This week was what I consider the hangover week – everyone was a little bit tired, and a little bit off. Big Rocks were tough, and some got there, but certainly not the majority.
Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has been sweeping the world. Here are my recommendations for preparation and why I believe it’s important.
I just left my position as cofounder at Lean Systems, and started a new role with Unito, a startup based in Montreal doing syncing between collaboration tools. This post explains the rationale for the decision, and why I’m excited about this new opportunity.
Being a successful entrepreneur doesn't require exceptional intellect. This post explores what really matters.
Four key lessons from my first week as an Associate at Techstars Boston—insights on startup culture, mentor relationships, and the intensity of accelerator programs.
Lessons learned from Week 3 at Techstars Boston. This week the focus was sales, on which all businesses are built.
Lessons from Week 5 of Techstars Boston, where we learned about the power of the Techstars network, and learned all about customer interviewing.
After determining that growth and product were going to be our two main points of focus in Week 1, we got prepared for Mentor Madness in Week 2.
I spent most of Week 4 in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, attending the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers conference which happens once every year. In theory, these are exactly the people we want to be talking to, learning from, and eventually helping, so it was a great opportunity.
Thinking about buying solar panels for your home? This post breaks down the math, including the payback period, for panels located in the Northern Hemisphere, and shows you how to do the calculations for your own location.
Finding a cofounder is one of the most important steps in the life of a startup. Here are my tips on how to do it.
If Week 5 was the hangover, Week 6 was the reboot. Most companies started to really hit their stride, and see the results of all the hard work in the first half of the program.
Confirmation bias affects us all, every day. Do you know where it occurs in your own life? Do you know how to reduce the effects? This post will teach you to identify and counter confirmation bias throughout your life.
This fall, my two brothers are both applying to college (used interchangeably with university throughout). Both are in different situations, and separated by three years; they’re likely going to have very different experiences. But the fact that both are going to be heading off to university for at least the next four years prompted me to reflect on my time at university, and what I’d do differently if I had to do it again.
Thinking about joining the Founder Institute in your city? This post goes into detail about my experience, and whether I would recommend it.
Lessons from Week 6 at Techstars Boston, with some great Founder Stories, learning about behavioural interviewing and exploring cofounder conflict.
After dipping briefly following Mentor Madness (at least in feel), the pace here has started to noticeably increase again. That mostly means founders and teams have less time for distractions, and are putting in even longer hours than usual. New product is being shipped, and more time is being dedicated to fundraising and sales, in preparation for Demo Day. As such, the focus this week was mostly on product development, and putting more pressure on growth.
Good sleep has a huge impact on our lives, and most of us spend around a third of our lives sleeping. Don’t you want the best sleep you can get? Here are 10 things I do to get better sleep.
A review of the Awair 2nd Edition air quality monitor. I got one because I wanted more information on my environment and to improve my sleep. Turns out, it’s useful for more than that.
Cognitive biases affect the decisions we make every day. Understanding 25 of the most common biases will help you improve your thinking and decision-making in business, relationships, and more.
Those of us who like data try to measure everything. But what if that’s counterproductive? Measuring things is not the goal. This post explores when and what we should be measuring, using the example of sleep anxiety.
My go-to apparel and style brands for quality, durability, and timeless design—including the specific products I wear most and why they've earned a permanent spot in my wardrobe.
Many people want to improve themselves. Our natural tendency when people attempt to make a change is to find the faults, the imperfections. You must fight this habit.
Learnings from Week 2 of Techstars Boston, covering the start of Mentor Madness, adjusting to the intense accelerator pace, and early lessons on startup focus and prioritization.
For whatever reason, this week the workshops focused largely on enterprise-oriented companies, and the Founder Stories happened to come from two people involved with an enterprise-focused company. From a general standpoint, this week has been about growth. Companies are spending a lot of time working out their strategy for the next 6-12 months, and which direction they will head after Techstars.
Remote work is here to stay. To make it productive, you need to make sure you have these four things in place. If you do, it will be almost like being in person!
The difficult decision to leave the startup I founded through Founder Institute Montreal—lessons learned about co-founder dynamics, market timing, and knowing when to walk away.
I haven't managed to write nearly as much as I'd hoped for the past several months, but for good reason. After Techstars finished, I did a bit of traveling to visit some friends in Europe, and then headed back home to Nova Scotia. I ended up staying longer than planned - it's difficult to leave Nova Scotia in the summer (check out this video to see what I mean). Ultimately though, it was one of the best summers in recent memory.
Traveling can be stressful. After spending a lot of time traveling, here is my list of 20 things you can do to make your life, and the life of those around you, easier.
Video, itinerary and details from my recent trip hiking and camping in Scotland with my two brothers.
Feeling anxious and overwhelmed happens to everyone at some point. This article outlines the three principles I return to when I feel overwhelmed, and the strategies I use to truly internalize the principles.
Learn about FightCamp, the “Peloton of boxing” and their home boxing workouts. This review covers the equipment, the app, and the overall system as a method of staying fit, including video of me attempting to box.
Effective communication is important for every aspect of life. Here are two communication techniques I’ve learned that have proven to be exceptionally useful.
Patrick Collison, cofounder and CEO of Stripe, is widely admired in tech circles. This article summarizes his decision making tips and process, as told on The Tim Ferriss Show and The Knowledge Project podcasts.
Find out which personality tests you should use to figure out your strengths and weaknesses, essential knowledge for success both personally and professionally.