There I was, decked out in Star Trek Lower Decks costume at a Yelp Halloween party, watching Game 5 of the World Series on a massive LEDTV at Funburger in Valencia. It was a classic LA night – costumes everywhere, drinks flowing, and a crowd of Dodgers fans all clinging...
Finding Meaning And Joy in Your Work: Lessons from the High Seas and the Virgin Brand
Sometimes, it takes just one person to bring a group of strangers together. On my Virgin Voyages cruise, that person was our server at GunBae. Her warmth and joy were infectious, turning a quiet dinner into an evening of connection, laughter, and shared stories. It was a reminder that, no...
Understanding Variation in a System: A Fact of Life
In the world of IT and operations, variation isn’t just a theory—it’s a reality. From traffic patterns in Los Angeles to service level agreements in an IT department, variation in systems is a fact of life. Understanding and managing this variation is essential for ensuring smooth operations, whether you’re dealing...
Task Processing Process
Using Trello + Cronofy PowerUp to build an amazing personal task management system Alright, here's your simple guide to build this a pretty snazzy task management system for your personal work or home tasks that'll leave you (your boss or your wife) speechless looking at how many tasks you've completed....
Google Sheets Formulas: 3 Formulas That Will Change Your Life (Teacher Edition)
It’s time again for 3 Google Sheets Formulas that will change your life. If you are a spreadsheet noob, make sure you hop over to How Do You Use Google Sheet Formulas to get a primer on this awesome functionality. Ok, enough of the pleasantries. Let’s get to the good...
Love it or hate it, you need an Inbox: 3 ways we use inboxes that waste time and 1 framework to optimize your inbox use
In today’s digital world, inboxes—whether email or task-related—have become an essential part of our daily lives. While they help keep us organized, inboxes can also be overwhelming and often lead to productivity drains. A few months ago, I was decluttering my iPhone, deleting unused apps, and I stumbled across the...
Podcast Episode 006: Immigration, Systemic Racism, White Privilege, and My Dad
Happy Father’s day everyone. This is my story. This is my dad’s story. This is the story of many Filipino immigrants trying to beat a system. This is my tribute to my Father, Narciso Peralta Aguda, Sr. Rest in Peace, dad. January 1, 1940 – December 2, 2007. A bad...
The Eisenhower Decision Matrix
I've got a ton of stuff to do. What do I do first? My inbox is full of requests! Everything seems important! When will I get the time to do this? Wouldn’t it be pleasant to have a system in place to help us make sense of everything we’re asked...