Lessons learned across work done, books read, curiosities followed.
Personal growth, product management, tech strategy.
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Note: This post originally appeared on Substack. Subscribe here: timk.substack.com/ I had done it a thousand times. Yet I was doing it all wrong. Legs trembling, torso aching, face drenched in sweat. My mind is confused and racing. “How can I put myself out of this discomfort?” I frantically wondered. I’m in a windowless room full of aspiring…
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Note: This post originally appeared on Substack. Subscribe here: timk.substack.com/ An argument with my dad taught me to think clearer. My parents have sought a new car for at least 5 years. My dad has proclaimed, “I’m waiting for our neighbor’s car lease to end. We’ll get a deal if I pay the lease buyback price.”…
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Whether in business or life, we’re often measuring metrics to miss our goal. Metrics abound, whether it’s revenue for a business or a target weight in our personal lives. Metrics are crucial to focus us and as feedback towards reaching goals. Clayton Christensen, famed business professor, has a book titled “How will you measure your…
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I’m a few days into a trip to Mexico with some friends. It’s midday and we’ve been sitting on the beach, catching up on stories. It’s been a few years since we’ve gotten together. The warmth of the sun and serenity of the beach make for a relaxing backdrop to detach ourselves from the usual…
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“You should travel!” It’s summer 2021, and I had taken a 3-month leave of absence from my job. With warm weather and the idea of a few months of “free time,” travel was the most common suggestion from people around me on how I should spend my time. The idea of a few months without…
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Note: I’m trying out Substack as a publishing platform going forward. Subscribe here: timk.substack.com/ It’s happy hour at a hip Thai restaurant in Fremont, Seattle. I’m seated at a table perched on a platform with a view of the entire restaurant. The appetizers on the table have gone cold and I’m clutching my beer like…
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“Hey, it’s been a while.Want to grab a coffee?” I text my friend to catch up. Grabbing a coffee and sitting down at a cafe has become the default activity to have a conversation with people, even if one doesn’t enjoy coffee. This time, however my friend responds, “How about a walk? I gotta hit…
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“What’s your level of Japanese?” I get asked this question regularly. It usually comes after somebody has asked me how my weekend/week/day has been and I mention that I studied some Japanese. After the natural next question of “How long have you been studying?” (3.5 years) people now ask, “Are you fluent?” (No) I always…
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The room had a low red glow to it. Lights flickered across the dance floor, fluid visuals floated on a screen above, and the music blared over the speakers. My eyes were fixated on the laptop in front of me, heart racing as I searched for the next song to play. I had already stopped…
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It was a warm summer evening in Toronto. As I sat on the park bench I felt light headed. My stomach felt knotted and I was short of breath. I was confused. My life was derailed forever. I was 16 years old and my girlfriend had just told me she wanted to break up. For months…
“Writing is a way to remember things, clarify thinking, and share learnings.”
— Unknown
Tim Kung 