Living_by_the_Code_v1.1.1 by 2019

Author:2019
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-16T18:47:44+00:00

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Silicon Valley is an industry typically known for its hustle, long hours, passion, constant grind and learning—and always having a side project. My growth was fueled by a mentality that was within that.

When I was in college, I was working full-time as an engineer and doing a full-time set of classes at night and taking up contract projects for clients. I was doing the hustle. I was trying to grow. Now I see that same mentality in folks who are entering into this industry. But there’s a significant problem of burnouts, health issues, and mental health strain. I have gone through several issues that have helped me reset my priorities and understand that that hustle can be very toxic.

Several years ago I didn’t feel very healthy: I was overweight; I have a family history of heart disease; I had gone through some personal tragedy; and I was feeling super, super burned out from work.

So I started to prioritize and focus on personal sustainability and what it means for a work-life balance. I wanted to explore wellness and methods like meditation, exercise, weightloss, and different diets. That just became this slippery slope for understanding me; it’s possible to have sustainability and to have balance in your life while still executing well and still producing a lot—and still being recognized as a leader in the space that you’re in. They are not mutually exclusive.

And that was an epiphany to me that I wish would have come sooner; I’m glad it did come. That has led me down a path of quantified self-improvement, biohacking, and anti-aging research. I’ve started getting into medical papers trying to understand the benefits of a certain diet, lifestyles, medication or other things in this space.

It’s been a really interesting journey. Now, it’s something that I actively mentor and advocate with the folks who I’m working with. I’ve had a lot of people for whom I’ve specifically advocated to take a more moderate view to their work and to try to remove their sense of urgency around projects—to coach them in their ability to say no to deadlines and push things back. I want them to understand the prioritization of stakeholders when they’re trying to demand something.

And it hasn’t just been effective for me, but I’ve had many folks I mentor who came back to me later and said, “Wow this was life-changing. And this approach has allowed me to continue to be a very-high performing engineer while being much healthier and happier.” So my passion is around shifting the industry in such a way that we can have a more moderate view of work, and we can have companies that understand, even from the beginning in a start-up, that work-life balance is important and folks spending time on their health is important.

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