What I'm doing now (March 4, 2020)

This page was updated March 3, 2020. The purpose of the page is to share what I'm up to and working on currently (aim to update every few months).

I’m married! ❤️

Jess and I got married on August 31 last year. The wedding was in Boulder, and consisted of a sunrise ceremony at (aptly named) Sunrise Amphitheater and an evening reception at one of our favorite restaurants, Corrida, which offers a stunning view of the Flatirons.

We also set up hiking groups for family and friends to see some of our favorite Boulder hikes, and had a pool party the day after our wedding. It was everything Jess and I could have hoped for: our loved ones together in a place we’ve come to love, and a wedding weekend we crafted to suit our own passions and approach.

I shared some photos of our wedding on Instagram.

Working with a coach 🎓

Around six months ago I started working with a coach from Reboot, and it’s already been transformative for me personally and my approach to leading Buffer. I can’t recommend highly enough seeking this type of help if you’re in a position to be able to have it.

There are various types of coaches and for me, I chose someone who can help me delve deeper into my personal why, and the purpose of Buffer. These can be big, scary areas to explore, but doing this work feels immensely powerful too.

Dreaming bigger 💡

As part of my coaching, and general reflection over the past few months, I’ve found myself dreaming much bigger. Buffer has become stable and solid, and we’ve helped several shareholders end their chapter and get liquidity. Now I feel a sense of both liberation and duty to take the company towards greater heights and along its own unique path.

In particular, I feel a calling to lean even further into customer value above company outcomes, and towards embedding causes and the environment into the way the company operates, so that we create an entity that, simply by existing and operating, is making the world a little bit better.

Travel and true disconnection ✈️

I’ve continued to have a lot of varied and interesting travel. Some of the highlights:

Cabarete, Dominican Republic: I went back to the DR for another week of kitesurfing in June last year. It was in the run up to the wedding, and I sensed that I needed some solid disconnection from Buffer and screens, and I also wanted to make sure to keep up my new hobby of kitesurfing. I traveled alone and did a whole week of lessons, kitesurfing around 3 hours each day, and relaxing and doing nothing much else other than eat and read, for the rest of the time. This is a hobby I definitely want to keep up.

Joshua Tree: Jess and I had a ‘mini-moon’ in Joshua Tree after our wedding. It was a magical experience and we plan to go back many times in the future. We loved the whimsical nature of the national park, the Joshua Trees and the small towns nearby. We stayed in an AirBnB in the desert, with only a few other houses in sight, and were able to get off the grid and connect deeply as a couple.

London and the Peak District: As some of my family couldn’t travel to Boulder for the wedding, we hosted a small dinner in the Peak District, just outside my hometown of Sheffield. It was special to spend time with my grandparents and my whole family, who I wish I could see more regularly, and celebrate our marriage one more time.

Nosara, Costa Rica: I go on an annual trip with my friend Andy, and this year we decided to make it a low key disconnected trip, with activity and downtime. We went to Nosara and surfed every morning for 14 days, and spent the rest of the time hanging out and drinking coffee, eating, and having some great conversation alongside plenty of time to read. Jess joined us for the second week, which was a fun balance and contrast between the two weeks.

Thailand: Jess and I spent Christmas and the New Year in Bangkok and Chiangmai to celebrate Jess’ parents 45th wedding anniversary. It was my second time in Thailand, but my first time visiting Chiangmai. We had a lot of fun, and ate very well. The contrast between Bangkok and Chiangmai was interesting to experience, and to feel. I loved the energy, convenience and varied and delicious cuisine of Bangkok, but I preferred the slower pace, lower traffic levels, drier climate and views of nature in Chiangmai. We especially enjoyed hiking up the Monk’s Trail and seeing the two temples along the way.

New Zealand: We went from Thailand straight to New Zealand for a co-worker’s wedding. It was in the beautiful Otago region of the South Island, and from there Jess and I did our first campervanning trip together. We rented an RV and drove around the South Island clockwise, deciding each day where to stop to sleep for the night, and learning to take care of our vehicle. We spent some of our evenings and mornings in the most beautiful places, totally inaccessible by normal accommodations, such as the camp site by Lake Pukaki. We had in mind that this would be an experience we’d either do once and never again, or it would be the first of many times. I’m happy to say we thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to do it again.

Winter in Boulder ❄️

We’re now deep into winter and ski season in Colorado, and we are loving every moment of it. I’m at 16 days of skiing for the season so far, and I can noticeably feel how much my skiing has improved since my 2017/18 season two years ago, which was my first time skiing again in almost a decade. In particular, I’ve been enjoying the tree runs and bowls that Colorado has to offer.

We’re lucky to have Eldora as our local mountain, where we can easily do day trips, as well as some truly world class mountains 1.5 to 4 hours away including Copper Mountain, Steamboat Springs and Aspen.

This page was inspired by Derek Sivers and his /now page.