2026.10.25

People often ask what I’ve been up to… This is what I’m doing right now:

(This is a Now page. If you have your own site, you should make one, too!)

  • It’s been a bit since my last update, because times have been a bit tricky. I’ve traveled 108 days this year, and not all of it was good. My grandfather passed away in June and I said goodbye to a place and a community that I truly love. I’m coming out of a year’s long depressive episode and feeling to a decent but introspective place.

  • Back in Amsterdam and one week from my 41st birthday, so I'm spending a little down time in contemplation about what this next decade holds. I asked a few friends and colleagues their advice and I'll summarize it here for you:

    • “You lose 7% of your muscle mass each decade beginning at 30… do with this what you will”

      • After a bit of research it seems like there are effective ways to slow this, so I’ll definitely be looking into this. Key to it is improving or maintaining bone density, which has always been a weak point for me so… wish me luck

      • Tangentially to this, cardiovascular health, specifically VO2 max has a correlation with decreases or increases in all-cause mortality…

    • Quit drinking. Recovery, sleep quality, body composition, metabolism, memory, and general self worth are all noticeably worse in multi-generational studies.

      • I’ve been considering quitting again, so this might just be the nudge to do so

    • The quality your relationships over the longer term is one of the greatest predictors in lifelong satisfaction. Protect time for it.

      • Most people’s social circle shrinks in this decade because fewer things force contact (especially if you don’t have children). Recurring events or planned annual trips with the same people beat good intentions when it comes to social health

    • You need less alone time than you think, but alone time is still critical to wellbeing. Find that balance.

    • Pay yourself before you pay for “fun”

      • Things like lowering your burn rate are easier when you isolate a certain amount of funds each month to savings and investments.

    • Build things you own.

      • Skills, reputation, and assets all continue to pay beyond just your “job” and give you more options well into your 50s.

    • Say no more often.

      • Your time and attention are now the scarce resources, and every yes spends them. The pickier you are about commitments, people and obligations, the more present you can be for the ones you do choose. The challenge here is switching from FOMO, to JOMO, and actively identifying with the phrase, “i am choosing not to do this so that I can do this other thing”

    • Do the big things now

      • The traditional route is to wait until you retire to live. This is the deferred life plan. But trips, projects and experiences that need energy and health are cheaper to do at 40 than at 60. Regret research consistently shows that people regret what they skipped, not what they tried.

    • Sort decisions by reversibility.

      • Decide fast on decisions you can undo and slow down on the ones you can’t.

    • Teach, mentor, give.

      • Passing on what you know not only helps others but also builds mastery in yourself and is a big source of meaning in the second half of a career.

  • Currently Reading:

    • Howling Dark by Christopher Ruocchio

      • Sequel in a 7-part fantasy series. Fantastic read so far.

    • Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky

      • A slightly more structured take on my “One Thing” principle, the book outlines a systematic way of designing your days that really tickles my framework-loving brain. They provide nice little take-them-or-leave-them strategies that you can sample here and there. The best part for me is that these ideas can largely be applied to your entire life, not just your work life.

  • Recently Completed Reads:

    • Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio

      • (just about finished) Imagine Dune-scale ambition with a more personal voice, written as a confession by someone who knows the universe will judge him as either a monster or a savior.

    • Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

      • My fourth time reading this one. As I'm traveling extensively, and dealing with an untimely resurgence of some depressive symptoms, it’s a good book for grounding myself in my finitude and reminding myself how precious life is. Specifically poignant for the loneliness of solo travel, I find this quote to be reassuring: “There is only one way to travel. Forward, into the consequences of your choices.” I find this outlook very optimistic and nurturing as I evaluate my life, my choices, and where I go from here.

    • Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

      • This is the third time I've read this one and each time I get something a little different from it. This one I'm finding inspiration - and justification - in my lifelong pursuit of what the author calls “fiddling”. To be clear, the author also mentions the value of deliberate practice, but he acknowledges that deliberate practice on a single thing is much more valuable when done after much more exploration and experimentation than is normally encouraged.

    • The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More by Jefferson Fisher

      • Admittedly found him through youtube and loved what he had to say. I think you get 80% of the value of the book from his podcast interviews but i still enjoyed reading this one

    • Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson

      • Climax to part 1 of the Stormlight Archives, and book #20 in the Cosmere. I absolutely love the worldbuilding in this universe, which spans eons and galaxies.

    • Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

      • Heartbreaking and optimistic in equal measure. Roughly split into two parts - part one was his account of his time in the concentration camps and part two about his experiences with logotherapy, I highly encourage everyone to read this book at least once in their lives. You need the first part to appreciate the second part.

  • Books On Hold / Next Up:

  • Current Exercise Routine:

    • Back to the gym 3 days per week. Recently switched from push/pull/lower splits to full body because i noticed that if i missed a day i missed an entire body part, but with full body split if i miss a day then i just miss a day.

  • Current Diet:

    • All the food. I bought a rice cooker so that’s been my main form of sustenance.

  • Currently learning:

    • Passive

      • Dutch A2 lessons on hold.

    • Skill-Based

      • I recently bought a 3d printer so diving back into autoCAD

  • Side Projects:

    • Fractional Leadership

      • launched Otterstein.org and it’s going well so far. After feedback from my first two clients, the majority of problems well into two categories:

        • We don’t know our own principles

        • Help, our operations work is in shambles and we don’t know why.

  • Recent Travel (since the last update):

    • USA

      • Denver. CO

      • Los Gatos, CA

      • Boston, MA

    • France

      • Normandy

    Upcoming Travel:

    • France

      • Reims, Jira and Alsace

Updated 25 Oct, 2026 (for past editions, you can find them here)