We are back! First newsletter in a while

Updates and reflections from the spring

It’s been a while since I’ve sent a newsletter, but I was happy to take some time on a Sunday morning to reflect on the past few months and write out an update. 

The early part of the spring was full of travel for work and pleasure, flying to Austin, Denver, and San Francisco all within a month or so, while mixing in some trips to New York in the middle. When things settled down travel-wise in April, things picked up personally. We lost two grandparents within two months. We spent time visiting family, attending funerals, bringing meals to people, going on hospital visits and feeling a lot of sadness. In between the challenges, there were moments of joy, like my sister graduating from nursing school, my cousin graduating high school, and taking a family trip to the mountains of Quebec.

Work picked up, too, as we set more aggressive growth targets and put in the hours to close new business. I’ve learned a TON about sales, technology, product development and leading teams. I’m grateful to work with an incredible group of people who I got to meet in person in Austin for a week in April. Working remotely makes that time in person with colleagues so valuable and joyous. We spent hours discussing the future of the company, but always made time to mix in fun activities like biking around Austin, going to the rock climbing gym, or visiting the local restaurants. 

Summer is here in New England and with it comes the best time to explore the seacoast area, the beach, the mountains, local breweries, coffee shops and ice cream stands. We’ll be staying local for the next few months save for a few short trips. We’re hosting guests in Concord in July and August and looking forward to showing people around during such a great time to be in New Hampshire. 

Wellbeing and movement

I’m still playing tennis once per week as it’s such a fun mix of play, strategy, physical fitness and skill. I’ve been playing some great golf recently, too, shooting in the 70s for my last three rounds. I’ve been getting to the gym two or three times per week as well, trying to get stronger. I’m finding I need to revisit mindfulness, meditation, yoga. Things are moving so fast right now, and finding time to pause has been especially challenging. 

Reading and learning

I recently read A World Without Email by Cal Newport with a colleague. We met to discuss a few times throughout the reading which helped me stay motivated to pay attention and absorb the material. The book brought to my attention the cost of distraction, which Newport calls “the hyperactive hive mind,” or the feeling of always being plugged into the chatter of email, Slack, texts, Twitter and more.

There’s a strong emphasis on implementing better processes and boundaries in your work life to avoid never-ending instant messages. I’ve never thought of myself as a great process-thinker, but this book has helped call to my attention what inefficient communication looks like, and how well-designed processes can give everyone more focus and clarity in their work.   

A short dedication

I’d like to dedicate this post to two of my grandparents, Connie and Doris, who are sadly no longer with us. Connie was a long-time reader of this newsletter, and everything I wrote. She edited my book, providing several rounds of feedback on versions of the manuscript. And Doris was the life of the party, a true role model of how to live a life full of joy and love. The world lost two beautiful souls this spring. 

As always, thank you for reading.

Zack