You’re receiving this monthly newsletter because you’ve been a valuable part of my life in some shape or form (or I’d like for you to be 🙂). See this video for context.
What I’ve been up to 🌱
I’m in Asia! I sublet my Toronto condo to travel Asia for a month! I moved out in July and have just arrived in Asia for the next little bit: going to Cebu, Bali, and Hong Kong, with stops at SF, Singapore, and Tokyo. 11 flights in under a month - going to be exhausting but very excited for it!
Life at Onova has been a very hectic few weeks. We’ve just concluded a GenAI Hackathon for Capgemini and Google - technically my first “full” client project with the team :) I’m also now preparing to take on another role as another PM at the company for our AI-based poker coach. A big change for me and a steep learning curve, so any advice would be very appreciated here :)
It’s been almost 45 days of creating consistent content on Instagram. Quite frankly, the only thing keeping me going so far is just the 1K bet. I’ve been very discouraged as the results and progress are slim (since Instagram changed their algorithm in mid-June). Will try to switch things up and define a new niche, but also will do some internal reflection on if I want to continue creating reels or not…
The family came to visit from the Philippines on two separate occasions! Family is super important to me, and I had to flex a lot to make time to see them despite the busy work season. Was a super fun time to see them all and spend a weekend at Blue Mountain together :D
What I’ve been thinking/learning about 💭
On making space for what matters - the past four weeks were really a blur. I was working 16-hour days, trying to coordinate travel logistics, and finding time to spend time with my cousins and uncles/aunts as they were here in Canada. I’m at the end of that period now in full exhaustion, but fully satisfied. I made time for what was important to me at that moment. Sure, I have a few more things to catch up on like sleep and my life admin, but you also find time to make space for that.
On “admin debt” - a really good friend of mine, Ron (who also writes a great weekly reflection), was the first to tell me about this concept of “life admin”. A few days ago, I was introduced by our developer to “technical debt”. During my busy season, I deprioritized a lot of life admin and accumulated “admin debt” - small things like cleaning up my computer files, paying bills, and clearing out my inbox. This all accumulated subconscious space in my head that contributed to my perpetual burnout and feeling of being overwhelmed. To combat this in the future, I’m going to have nonnegotiable 1-2 hour blocks where I specifically clear out any life admin debt: managing investments, following up with people, and dealing with docs and receipts. Might be a little switch that will help me alleviate more brain space and prevent perpetual burnout.
Lmk if you are (or know someone who is) working on or thinking about the above!
Personal asks 🙏
Would love to meet any PMs for any advice on non-technical PM-ing!
What’s next for me ⚡️
Unplugging in Asia for the next few weeks :)
Spending lots of time with family
Learning how to be a PM
Thanks for reading this month’s update. Would love to hear how I can help you this month (maybe I can make some intros, work through some thoughts with you, or otherwise). See you next month 👋
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Damn... I love this concept of “admin debt”! So true and I definitely think it’s one of the biggest contributing factors to burnout and feelings of overwhelm!
Will also try to block off non-negotiable time on my calendar to tackle life admin tasks, even whilst relaxing in Bali with you! 😎🏝️