Conner Sherline
On the first hour of his day.
I’m usually awake between 5:30 and 6 am most days.
I’ll first dive into my inbox and triage through my emails to see if there are any fires that need to be put out. After that’s wrapped up, I’ll hit a quick session in the gym. You can usually find me sweating through a Barry’s, but I like to mix it up every once in a while.
Once I’m back from the gym, I’ll rinse off in a quick shower, grab a quick coffee, and start reading. I’ll read material related to either my direct work, or the greater industry.
My morning routine comes to a close when my workday kicks off, around 8 am.
On his daily workflow.
At the moment, most of my work is analytics-focused, especially from 8 to 10:30 am.
I begin the workday by checking our metrics. I review several dashboards to see the status of our product initiatives, and then I write up summaries of the things that concern me, as well as things I want to understand more.
Afterward, I have a stand-up meeting with my dev team every morning at 9 am. Next, I have a meeting with my designers and UX folks at 10 am.
The start of my workflow is pretty standard, and I’ve found that to be helpful in dialing in focus, understanding our business status, as well as organizing the rest of my day.
On staying composed.
I take client feedback super seriously, so if there’s anything negative going on with a client, I have a tendency to confine myself and get stressed.
That being said, I am pretty in touch with knowing when I’m burnt out and when I’m not.
When I’ve had a good rest and I’m consistently following my routine, I tend to be less reactive. However, when I’m stressed, I react a lot.
Keeping a pulse on my composure and stress has been key for me. If I feel overwhelmed, I step away and ground myself in what we are doing so I don’t grind myself into oblivion!
On dealing with burnout.
One of the reasons I love living in NorCal is that I live incredibly close to pristine trails and incredible nature — getting outside is my key to relaxation and clarity.
My MO is to leave tech behind and spend several hours alone doing something active. I’m an avid road biker, so sometimes I’ll go on a 20 to 30 mile ride to clear my head.
If it’s winter, I’ll head up to the mountains and go skiing for a day.
Active meditation is how I am able to achieve clarity, as opposed to stationary meditation. I’m able to relax, focus, and also enjoy some time in nature.
On allocating his time.
The hardest part about being a CEO is that you don’t have a singular function. What I’m constantly working towards is allocating my time effectively and beneficially.
My main job is helping others, raising money, and hiring.
You naturally gravitate towards your core competencies and experience in specific areas, but what’s challenging is figuring out how to prioritize your time and be malleable with the needs of the business. I’m getting better at it, but I have some ways to go.
On optimizing for action.
Our main core value is being radically open — it’s a big thing we look for in anyone we recruit. Another characteristic of ours is moving forward, fast.
I’m really attracted to people who have an itch for action.
They respond fast, are available frequently, and get the work done.
On resetting mental states.
Most of the time, I reflect on my fundamentals and see what didn’t work right.
Sleep, workout and diet are the three key things I need to get right before I can make any kind of progress.
Sometimes, it’s things that are a little more subconscious that need more tending to, be it a conversation I’m avoiding or big life challenges that are eating at my mental stability.
For those subconscious things, it’s important for me to pay close attention and dive deep to work through them in order to reset my mental state.
On creating separation.
I recently started going to WeWork 2 to 3 times a week.
The drive to and from work helps to create separation in my day, which has been incredibly hard to balance during the pandemic.
Additionally, taking my dog to the dog park helps me transition from work to home-mode, while also helping me relax after a fast-paced day.
On his nightly routine.
I’m old and I’m old school! I don’t have any blackout shades or masks. I like to go to bed when the sun sets, and I wake up when the sun rises.
I love to sleep in the cold. It gets down to 50 degrees in California, so I usually sleep with my windows open.
My phone is put away in another room by 8 pm most nights, and then I’m in bed and asleep at around 9:30 pm. Early to rise, and early to bed!