Contrast Therapy

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𝘈𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬. Investment advisory services by Arc Advisory LLC. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘈𝘳𝘤, 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 at https://www.joinarc.com/general-disclosures

Covid took a lot away from us, but it did give us something I will forever be grateful for: remote work.

beehiiv was born out of covid. We began building on nights and weekends in the winter of 2020. We raised our seed round in the summer of 2021, and launched publicly that fall.

We have never once had an office.

I couldn’t be more bullish on the advantages of building a fully distributed company. I’ve written about it extensively here, here, and here.

If we had a physical space in LA and only hired people who could commute to the office, I promise you we wouldn’t have a fraction of the talent we have on this team today (no offense, LA).

Instead, each time we open a role we hire the absolute best person for the job irrespective of where they are located in the world. Then we give them the autonomy and flexibility to build a routine and lifestyle that allows them to do their best work.

It seems so barbaric to use geography as a hiring constraint in the modern internet age. Plus, I think there are untold benefits to working with people who all bring their own unique perspectives and experiences from living in all corners of the globe. We are trying to build a global business after-all.

For me personally — I’ve been able to create a much healthier lifestyle, optimize my routine to maximize my output, and entirely eliminate commuting from my life which I despise more than anything.

According to people much smarter than me: commuting is correlated with lower job satisfaction, increased strain, higher rates of depression, higher blood pressure, and poorer mental health. More importantly, it’s also just a huge fucking waste of time.

Remote work has also allowed me to travel and explore the world in ways that would have never been possible before (at least while maintaining a job). I’ve spent several months working remote from Medellin, Mexico City, Santa Teresa, Spain, and a handful of other places for short stints.

I’ve gained such incredible perspectives of the world from immersing myself in these global communities, which in turn helps me better understand the millions of people around the world we aim to serve. Otherwise, if you never leave San Francisco you may convince yourself the world needs an AI pendant to prevent anyone from ever having sex with you talk to your imaginary best friend.

Last week I moved back down to Medellin where I’ll be until the spring.

I’ve spent the past 2 winters down here and couldn’t be a bigger proponent of it. The city is majestic, the weather is (almost always) perfect, and I have a tremendous community of friends and founders down here.

…y he estado aprendiendo español los últimos dos años, y es mucho más fácil volverme fluido con el idioma viviendo en un país de Latinoamérica.

There’s also something about picking up and dropping yourself into an entirely different continent, speaking a different language, and building an entirely new routine that feels a lot like contrast therapy. Something about finding comfort in the discomfort that really shocks the system.

I’m one of the most routine-oriented people I know. Not really by choice, but out of necessity. I’ve crafted a routine that allows me to take care of myself and also gives me the energy and focus to be effective in front of a computer screen for 12+ hours a day.

There is far too much competition to settle for mediocre days.

In practice that translates to a 5:30am wakeup Monday through Friday, a mandatory gym session each morning, returning to my desk around 8am and remaining locked in until about 9pm each evening.

The last eight weekends I spent in LA looked more or less the exact same:

• 75 minute hot yoga on Saturday morning (this is my church).

• Sunday morning surf session (the ocean is my second church).

• Sunday evening breathwork in Venice (some super hippie shit but it’s awesome and the most meditative way to end the week).

These routines keep me sane in what is otherwise a life of overbearing stress. I’ve completely normalized being pulled in countless directions every time I open my computer or phone, the relentless pressure to deliver better results, and the ever-shrinking margin for error with each passing day.

I love my routine and lifestyle in LA.

The problem?

After months of the same routine it begins to feel a bit numbing. Almost as if I’m just sleepwalking through my weeks of doing the same, same, same.

You could argue that I should just change up my routine and try something different. That’s totally logical advice. But I’m more of an all or nothing type of person; if I commit to something, I’m going to commit all the way. When I want to switch up my routine, I’m going to drop myself on a different hemisphere and lean all the way in.

And it works — I feel so alive and full of energy being down here in Medellin again. (Our competitors are going to hate this). It feels like a strange rewiring of habits and routines that results in this rejuvenated sense of curiosity and motivation.

I’m currently moving into a brand new apartment and this desk is the only piece of furniture I own. That’s the level of locked in I am right now.

In addition to the contrast therapy of being immersed into a totally different culture on the other side of the planet, the quality of life here cannot be understated. I just recently hired a private chef and a maid which has been a total cheat code.

There are two things I value almost more than anything: health and time.

I suddenly have an extra 10+ hours each week that I used to spend cooking for myself. That’ll add up to over 150 hours of newly found time I can spend working this winter… while eating much healthier, more quality meals.

I can’t afford to hire a private chef in the US, but here it’s about double the price of my gym membership back in LA. I also have a sports massage therapist who comes weekly to stretch me out and keep me loose.

Derrick Henry, running back of the future Super Bowl champion Ravens (😉), spends an estimated $240K per year on his body. LeBron James reportedly spends 7-figures on his.

Now I don’t have to shed tackles from 300 pound men nor do I need that level of regiment. But the same way the best athletes invest in their bodies and health to optimize performance, I think founders should follow suit to some extent to ensure they’re in the optimal mental and physical state to build.

I’ve been battling a constant state of burnout for years and have a handful of grey hairs to show for it. I don’t think enough founders invest in their health to the extent that they should to really optimize their output. And I don’t think “balance” is the answer either; I think “balance” is great for those who want mediocrity. Try to name a massively successful tech company whose leader prioritized “balance” when building the business.

At the end of the day, my only priority right now is to build beehiiv into a multi-billion dollar business. Spending winters here in Medellin gives me a ton of new life and energy, buys me a ton of my time back, and allows me to live a much healthier lifestyle. It also gives me additional perspective to learn from a diverse community of founders from around the world.

And the energy is palpable.

Founders should set the tone and pace for the company, and if my renewed energy has anything to do with it, I think we have the receipts to back it up. While it feels like most of the world is sitting on their hands, waiting to circle back after the holidays, we’ve launched nearly a dozen new features since the week of Thanksgiving… and have another massive launch set for later this week.

January is already shaping up to be one of the most monumental months of the company’s history with the lineup of announcements and new launches we have in the pipeline 👀.

It’s so good to be back.

But just as it happened the past 2 winters, the time will inevitably come towards the end of this stint where my routine will once again become too routine, and I’ll yearn for the beaches of Los Angeles again.

And when I arrive back in LA I’ll feel reinvigorated all over, settling back into yet another new routine, with new activities, new faces, and some much needed English.

It’s contrast therapy. It’s good for the soul.

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I am once again performing extra labor and generating my own AI offices, but she’s a beauty. The modern aesthetic, floor-to-ceiling windows, indoor plants and the jungle settings is 🥰.

Think you can generate a better office? Reply with your submissions 📨.

Turn on, tune in, drop out. Click on any of the tracks below to get in a groove — each selected from the full Big Desk Energy playlist.

Some of my favorite content I found on the internet this week…

• 👀 Look who got the cover story of Inc Magazine’s December issue (Inc.)

• Mike Solana’s writeup about the assassination of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare and the aftermath was fantastic (Pirate Wires)

• Substack’s incentives are no longer aligned with their publishers (Big Desk Energy)

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