Punching down cat5e to a patch panel before switching over to the more costly cat6. 
One week in with the Apple Watch and I’m a believer
There’s something about jumping into a first edition product. In 2007, it was iPhone and 2010 was iPad. I’ve now added Apple Watch to the mix of devices. As with all first generation products, there’s a lot of kinks to be worked out and features and functionality to be developed. Lets talk about the ecosystem of devices from desktop to wearable. First off, the MacBook Air is my working laptop (Surface Pro 3 for work). The iPad fits in between my iPhone as an in between product. Finally, the Watch is now an always on be device. That’s just a lot of devices. Is it really necessary and do we really need (an iPad and a Watch)?
Will there be a day when all these devices become one? My prediction for hardware is no, but yes for software. The spectrum of devices is useful so that we can customize our personal work styles. If you typically work at your own desk, then the laptop becomes your go to device. If you’re mobile a lot, perhaps a tablet will be sufficient for the work on the go.
Since there’s no shortage of reviews for Apple Watch, I’m not going to add yet one more review. Instead, I’m going to highlight my learnings since putting my Apple Watch Sport on.
Notifications – This is where things can go overboard. Instead, I have my notifications setup to only ping me for VIPs. It’s a great way to get a light “tap tap.” The fitness tracker features is also a good reminder via the tap to get up and move. It’s also great at letting me know that I get next to zero exercise each day.
Phone and Messaging – With the Watch, I’m finding myself not holding on to the phone all the time. I get pinged when a message or call comes in. I rarely take calls on the Watch unless I’m scrambling to find the phone.
Home Automation – At this early stage, I’m able to flip my lights on and off to different scenes via Phillips Hue. It’s seems overboard until you’re on the couch holding a baby and your phone is in the other room. I’m also able to control my Apple TV via the remote app. In my car, I have an Automattic dongle installed and Apple Watch shows me the last location I parked (super useful when you’re forgetful).
The Watch is like having someone tap you on the shoulder, giving you a wink, and letting you go on with your business. It’s a very subtle and gentle reminder. Most importantly, it’s not all up in your face. It’s been a bit more than a week and I am completely sold. It’s not just another unnecessary device. It’s a partner with your phone, humanizing the crackberry-mentality.
Five things I learned as a new father
It’s been exactly four weeks since my son Oliver came to my life. These four weeks have flown by so fast and I’ve watched a tiny newborn become a grown infant.
1. We adapt very fast
I need a lot of sleep to function (more than 8 hours). I was hoping to get one more weekend to recover from project work but of course, Oliver came three days early. Around midnight, we raced to the birthing center and at 2:23 AM, I saw him for the first time. For the next several days, I was running on adrenaline. At day four, I crashed. Even then, sleep only happened in small naps. My wife and I became irritable and cranky. Now at week four, life is “normal.” I’m able to function well with just three hours of sleep and sporadic naps during the day. There’s something to be said for the human desire to live and our ability to adapt to changing demands.
2. You are not the center of the universe
The little guy doesn’t care that you have an important meeting coming up. He doesn’t work with your schedule. I had no control over anything. Accepting that freed me from the illusion of control.
3. You can’t do it all, prioritize
When your day is taken over with constant diaper changes, feeding, and napping, there’s little time for any frivolous activities. It’s hard to dedicate time to complete to-do’s so you quickly learn to focus on the most important things first. In the first few days, we were still on our rhythm of keeping the house tidy and taking care of chores.
4. Take care of yourself first
Like they say on the airplane, put on your oxygen mask first before helping out others. If you’re passed out, you aren’t much use. I quickly learned that this is a marathon, not a sprint. That means taking me time to recharge, saying no more than yes, and being healthy.
5. Do what matters
Finally, all the goals I had went straight down the drain. Climbing the corporate ladder, getting accolades, and hobbies no longer were as important. So much of our lives is filled up with useless activities. Oliver isn’t the center of my world but he now taking up a good chuck of my focus. That means legacy projects are now off the books and a new set of priorities will come out.
Life changes are coming
When life happens, it happens all at once. Just this first part of the year, I finished my first client engagement where heart was the central theme, recognized by Consulting Magazine as a Rising Star 35 under 35, and welcomed Oliver Hoang to the world.
I’m able to final pause and reflect on what exactly happened. The foundation of life and career had already been built. This is after many years of sacrifices, hard work in my 20’s, and disciplined behavior, I was ready to transition into my next stage in life. I found myself not relying on intelligence and logic to solve problems but more on my instincts, experience, and emotions. In my early 20’s, this was either lacking or I viewed it as a weakness. Now that I’m more experienced, a bit wiser, I rely so much more on what my heart tells me than what my head tells me.
So much of life for me is about purpose, something greater than just me. Everything had seemed become a rat race, whether it be climbing the corporate ladder, meeting metrics and goals, or simply just surviving the work week. Mentally and physically, it had become so draining.
I was later fortunate to work on a project for a healthcare organization focusing on building out their mission message. For me personally, the mission resonated so well. They were there to provide care, and having a baby on the way made that so much more relevant. I learned to stay calm in the wake of madness and chaos. The world was too chaotic to add yet one more thing in there. Instead, I stood my ground. I stayed focused.
The future is bright for Oliver and I’m even more excited to see how he’s going to change the way I see the world.
Consulting Mag 35 under 35
Point B recently nominated me for Consulting Magazine’s 2015 Rising Stars of the Profession: 35 under 35. I’m proud to announce that I was accepted into this amazing list of consultants. This award comes just two weeks before the arrival of our first baby. I’m proud to represent Point B with this award after a great 2014 for me.
I wrote a short post last year about Point B becoming a 100% employee-owned company and how my peers were so supportive of me taking time off to travel to Italy.
Behind an award like this is our stellar marketing team, my mentors, directors, peers, and past co-workers. All their support opened the doors I needed to through to be recognized.
Thank you to everyone that had a part in this recognition.
Italy vacation 2014
After a long time since our last long vacation, we finally found some time to get a three week vacation to Italy. Thuc put together an amazing literary to visit many places throughout Italy.
Note: I’m not done adding commentary to the images below.
Layover in Amsterdam and Rome. We took a half day layover in Amsterdam to visit the city and get a preview. I love the people, orderliness, and politeness of the people. Definitely will have to come back again soon. In our last vacation, we took a 6 hour layover in Rome and got a chance to whiz through the city. This time, we took more time to visit the landmarks.
Positano in the Amalfi Coast. After a few days in Rome, we took the train to Salerno and then a ferry to Positano. I’ve always wanted to visit one of those cities hugging the mountain next to the sea. Our bed and breakfast was situated at the highest point in the city. After a very expensive cab ride up, we finally figured out how to use the local bus. The first night, we walked down 1700 steps down to town for dinner. When I got up to pay, my legs gave out and I hobbled back to the bus stop.
Capri From Positano, we took another ferry to visit the Island of Capri. It’s another beautiful place with very high end shopping. 
Florence We took the ferry back to Salerno and then a train to Florence. We weren’t big fans of the city but I loved the statue of David. It’s incredible to see in person.
Tuscany After a frustrating lesson that you can’t hail a cab in Florence, we finally made it to the car rental shop and got a Fiat to drive to Tuscany. It’s been 15 years since I drove a manual and was a fun adventure to drive out of Florence and then into the countryside. 
Pisa We stopped for a bit just to take a snapshot of the leaning tower of Pisa. It was definitely a sight to see but we wished we had more time to visit the rest of the city.
Cinque Terre We made it to Cinque Terre by train. We stayed in the middle of the five towns. 
Milan On the way to Venice, we took another stop in Milan to visit the city. It was definitely the most modern of all the places we visited in Italy. 
Venice Our last destination was Venice, my favorite of all the cities.
Back to Rome We took a long train ride back to Rome and spend a few days before we flew out. 
What Point B’s transition to employee ownership means to me
My company recently transitioned to a 100% employee owned firm. The three founders transitioned their ownership to the employees. To learn more on what the transaction means, watch this brief video below.
I wanted to take a moment and write a short post on what this means to me and go a little deeper than the promotional video above. Point B is 5th firm I’ve worked. I’ve had a chance to work for small companies and large companies. I’ve worked with different titles, organizational models, bosses, partners, and so on. I’m healthy skeptic and always want to know “what does that really mean?”
Passion for life
What attracts me to Point B, particularly now that we all literally own the company, is the passion that the owners have for the clients, company, and life. Earlier in my career, I thought that you had to put your head down and just work work work your way to mastery. As I mature in life, I realize that experiences makes for a better consultant. If there’s one thing that gets all Point B owners jazzed up, it’s travel. We are all lovers of life. That just sounds silly but the people here love living life. That passion comes across in the work that they do and in the ideas that they have. I’m finishing up this post as I’m about to head off to a three week trip to Italy. All the way up to the moment I’m about to pack my backs and to the moment I’m going to get back to work, my peers have my back. Many have provided great insights to my trip itinerary while others are rooting me on. It’s not just encouraged, but expected.
Ownership mentality
Even before the ownership transition, Point B’ers always had an ownership mentality. From day one, the expense policy was use your professional judgment. That was a weird experience. I didn’t need a 20 page policy on what I can and can’t expense? When you treat everyone like professionals, they act like professionals. They don’t “max out” their benefits, they are stewards of the firm’s resources. It was a very tough mindset shift to go from doing what others tell you to do to doing what feels right. It takes a lot of heart to work in an environment like that.
Legacy
In the video, I shared the importance of leaving a legacy behind. For me personally, a paycheck isn’t enough. There will never be enough raises and bonuses will never be enough. At the end of the day, it’s a feeling that the work you do is impactful and makes a difference is what matters to me. Beyond that, I want to create something that future generations can benefit from and create opportunities for others to seize. Looking back at early in my career, there were a handful that took the moment out to create opportunities, mentor, coach, and accelerated my career. At Point B, I’m surrounded by many of those people and now look forward to grabbing the torch and carrying that on.
Selfie
Got a chance to grab a selfie with one of the founders, Darran Littlefield on a visit to Olympia, WA.
Using Shoeboxed to organize for tax time
The April 15th deadline is fast coming up and I still have yet to sit down and file my taxes. Fortunately my receipts are scanned, tagged, and archived with Shoeboxed. Throughout the year, I’m stuffing my magic blue envelopes with my receipts to be scanned. Periodically, I check in to make sure they’re tagged for things like charity deduction. I’m always feeling confident that my records are well maintained in the event of an audit. If you already feel like you’ve missed the chance to be organize for this filing season, now is a perfect time to get your house in order for the next filing season.
Aside from all the productivity gains and organization, the biggest benefit of using Shoeboxed is the peace of mind. I keep a stack of blue envelopes near my inbox. As things come in, I add them to an envelope. When it feels like it’s getting full, I’ll slap it shut and mail it off. A few days later, they’re digitized and part of my electronic records, safely kept in the cloud.
A few learnings:
- Be consistent and develop a routine. That ensures that you are getting all your documentation in.
- Be diligent with keeping your receipts and get them in your envelopes before they get lost.
- Receipts wear out quickly, especially in your wallet. Get them sent in sooner than later before the ink fades.
In a recent tweet, I shared a picture of myself stuffing envelopes. I was doing my weekly ritual of sitting down and organizing my documents when I realized that I was wearing my Shoeboxed shirt while stuffing my envelopes.
Cleaning up files in preparation for tax season with @Shoeboxed decked out in swag. pic.twitter.com/qKyTK9JymS
— Daniel Hoang (@danielhoang) March 4, 2014
A few other questions I’m getting recently:
Can I get the originals back?
Yes, you can opt in to have your originals shredded and recycled. I do that because it’s one less thing for me to maintain. By default, your documents will be sent back to you.
Doesn’t it take too long to get the documents scanned?
If I need something immediately, I’ll scan it myself, snap a shot of it with my camera (which can also upload directly using the mobile app). But for the most part, these are documents that I just need organized and safely put away.