Boomerang lets you schedule your email.
Four years agowe interviewed one of Boomerangs founders about building Boomerang.
I spend a lot of time reviewing and editing things these days.
Alex:After growing up in Alabama, I studied electrical engineering and computer science at MIT.
I picked the analog circuits route.
The first year, I spent most of my time writing code to build the core product.
I still get to write a little bit of code, usually working on internal features or experimental projects.
That led me to move into UX Design and Product Management.
I went from giant software companies to smaller and smaller companies until I co-founded Boomerang with Alex & Mike.
Mike:I grew up in Connecticut and went to Dartmouth College.
After college, I joined Alex and Moah in Boston to co-found Boomerang.
Ive never worked anywhere else other than my own startup!
I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2011.
Take us through a recent workday.
We dont have meetings and turn off chat/IM so we can work on projects that require sustained focus.
For me, I often get to write code.
We start work late, so last Wednesday I woke up with my son around 8am.
After a quick shower, I walked to work.
On top of that, I really hate rigid routines.
My schedule ends up looking pretty random most of the time.
Today after our daily standup, I went straight into a product sign-off with one of the dev teams.
After that, I did email and answered peoples questions for both product and non-product related items.
I spent the afternoon creating an interview process for a new Senior Product Manager position that were hiring.
(Then I worked on this interview.)
Mike:My schedule is pretty consistent!
I enjoy walking; I let my mind wander.
On Fridays, I like having one-on-one walking meetings with my co-workers to check in.
What apps, gadgets, or tools cant you live without?
Alex:I used to live in Vim, and its still an everyday app for me.
I also rely heavily on Gmail (with Boomerang, of course!
),Feedly,Wunderlist,Evernote, Excel, and a rotating cycle of full-screen writing apps.
Now Im suffering every time I have to copy more than one thing.
Kindle: I read every night in my quest to read 50 books a year.
Alex:The centerpiece is a 34" curved monitor.
Alex:Limiting interruptions while Im working.
We also have a company policy that Slack is set to Do-Not-Disturb mode by default during work hours.
Our brains really arent wired to be interrupted constantly.
So it makes a huge difference.
Mike:I think in terms of energy rather than time.
So my life hack is to get enough sleep.
My day is both more productive and more enjoyable when Im well-rested or manage to sneak in a nap.
Ill gladly trade time for being able to spend less mental energy.
Alex:I was lucky enough to find cofounders who were very complementary.
At first, when we were all mostly focused on building the product, we specialized in different areas.
Im good at starting things and so-so at finishing them.
Moah was good at taking the seed of something and turning it into a real something.
And Mike was fantastic at taking that something and getting it production-ready.
Aye:My co-founder, Alex, and my co-worker, Mai-chi.
They help me get things done by being a sounding board when Im stuck.
I rely on Alex to help prioritize whenever I am spinning.
How do you keep track of what you have to do?
Aye:I split them into three piles.
The first pile is for things that are time-sensitive but not appointments.
For those, I use Boomerang to remind myself everything I need to do at the time I need.
The second pile is for things that are not time-sensitive.
Its a running list of things that should happen at some point.
I also have Bullet Journal for my notes from meetings and more nuanced project related to-dos and future ideas.
The third pile is meetings and appointments.
The less stuff I need to keep in my head, the better.
I hate any kind of manual, repetitive computer work.
It literally makes my head ache.
Whats your least favorite thing to do, and how do you deal with it?
Alex:I hate any kind of manual, repetitive computer work.
It literally makes my head ache.
I havent found a way to deal with it so far.
That way, I can relax at the end.
How do you recharge?
What do you do when you want to forget about work?
Alex:These days I mostly recharge through cooking.
During the weekends, I go hiking with my family.
Mike:I like video games.
If work feels chaotic, Ill pick a slower-paced game likeStardew Valleywhere decisions are rewarded predictably and linearly.
If work is quiet, Ill play an action game likeSplatoon.
Whats your favorite side project?
], that provided a personalized look at how the Federal Government spends the taxes you pay.
Aye:I volunteer with an organization calledBuild a School in Burmaas an advisory board member.
We build schools in underserved communities in Burma and so far have built 30 schools.
and learned guitar throughRocksmith.
What are you currently reading, or whats something youd recommend?
Aye:I just finished reading80,000 Hours.
Its a framework for helping on how best to choose a career with high social impact.
I read it as a book but all the content is free ontheir website.
Mike:Im rereading theWheel of Time seriesby Robert Jordan.
Its the longest series Ive ever read (14 books), and its easily my favorite.
Fill in the blank: Id love to see _________ answer these same questions.
Alex:Ezra KleinandBrandon Sanderson.
Aye:J. K. Rowling.
Whats the best advice youve ever received?
Alex:Spend at least as much time playing to your strengths as working on your weaknesses.
Aye:Focus on the process, not the results.
When you focus on things you control and do your best every day, the results will follow.
It saves you from wasting time focusing on competitors or other factors that are outside of your control.
Is there anything else youd like to add that might be interesting to readers and fans?
Mike:Send feedback to us; we read and respond to every email.
This interview has been lightly edited and some links have been added.
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