Archive • A Problem A Day • Buttondown

27. Use two-week sprints to test growth ideas

This week I traveled to Austin, Texas and had a few planning and strategy meetings with my colleagues. One of the big takeaways: Adam should be doing...

26. Why I don't travel

I’ve been to 44 states. I’ve lived in three countries, and I’ve traveled to five continents. I’ve been to Europe twice and Asia three times. I spent six...

25. Personal finance journal

Problem: I don’t have a great way to track personal finance investing decisions. I have a very detailed net worth tracker that I update each month. I also...

24. Check a bag every time

Problem: air travel sucks. How can you make it the best possible experience? My solution hinges on one premise: most people optimize the same aspect of air...

23. Why sunlight looks good

One thing I’ve taken away from reading my interior lighting design textbook: even light that is the same color and same warmth can have a different feel. The...

22. What would you invent?

Tonight at dinner my girlfriend proposed a topic: if you could invent any device, what would you invent? After some discussion, here’s the best ones that we...

21. Do the research

Back when I used to write a newsletter, I used to have a rule. If I could surprise someone with something they didn’t know three times, then I would earn...

20. Emotional durability and only 3 new clothing items

I have no shame: I think Derek Guy (the “menswear guy” on Twitter) has great taste. I also think he’s really good at explaining men’s fashion topics to a...

19. Toast aromatics to get better flavors

I made creamy lemon orzo last night: Creamy lemon orzo Orzo is a “pastina”, or little pasta. While it’s closer to the size of rice or a lentil, it’s not a...

18. Two ways to approach apartment hunting

Leading up to May, my girlfriend and I looked at many different apartments together. This process — or doing this process together, rather — wasn’t a...

17. Changing a bike flat tire

Today, well: Here’s how to change a flat tire on a bike: Identify that you have a flat tire. I actually skipped this step, and instead had my friend Max get...

16. You can just... open a savings account

Problem: I didn’t have a good way to save for specific large purchases. My personal finance situation looks something like this: each month, I get two direct...

15. Difference between growth equity and venture capital

I speak with a lot of software company founders, and one of the most common misunderstandings for folks looking to raise money is the type of investor they...

14. Three (unintuitive) principals for lighting design

Problem: I suspected that a large part of how an interior room feels has to do with lighting as much as the furniture, color and items in the room. I decided...

13. Move fast and provide great service

My girlfriend and I are moving in together next month. Moving from two separate locations into a third combined location requires managing a lot of...

12. A way to write well: objective vs subjective

One way to view good writing: objective vs subjective. Usually when people write, they start off with an emotion or story they want to tell. They start...

11. The monopoly of prisoner communication

Yesterday morning I went to Farley’s Coffee with my girlfriend. We go every Saturday and read through magazines while sipping our morning coffee. I picked up...

10. My best tips from 5 years of sales

This is reposted from a newsletter I wrote earlier this year to a small audience of private equity professionals. I would never claim to be an expert in...

9. How to meal prep (even if you hate meal prepping)

We all want to eat healthy, delicious and cheap food. To do that, you (usually) have to make it yourself. The problem is cooking food every day is a lot of...

8. Two ways to manage up (borrowed from AirBnb and Stripe)

Half of career success is doing good work, the other half is making sure people know about it.[0] One of the best ways to make sure people know about the...

7. Fathom is (shockingly) good at call note summaries

After a sales person takes a discovery call with a prospect, they have to input the information into the customer relationship management (CRM) tool. This is...

6. Functional, accessible tools enable great work

Several months ago my coffee machine broke. I think it was because of a calcium build up. Calcium becomes less soluble when heated up, so when the machine...

5. Some thoughts on snack foods (that you feel good after eating)

Problem: Most days I find myself wanting to eat a snack in the afternoon. But most snacks are bad for you. I’m not a stickler for junk food, but I pay close...

4. How to rebuild cycling confidence after a fall

Problem: I’m not cycling very often because I’m scared of falling off my bike. Solution: buy some new (and cheap) flat pedals until I build my confidence up...

3. Thank people for their time

In sales, many times small and cheap actions can have a big impact. I recently read an example of this: a restaurant owner would greet his guests at the...

2. E-Bikes are faster, cheaper and more fun than cars

This morning I needed to travel from my girlfriend's apartment to my apartment. She lives in Hayes Valley. I live in Mission/Potrero. As the crow flies, the...

1. Where should I host a daily blog?

Problem: I want to host a daily blog for my A Problem A Day project. Here’s what I think I want from a platform: It should be easy to use.I want to be able...