old enough to be sensible . . and choose not to be

What else they do that is awesome:

Stop child marriages

Persuade families to educate girl-child

Train women in self-defense

Oppose corruption in administration

Create awareness about the evils of dowry

Register FIRs against sex-offenders and abusive husbands

Publicly shame molesters

Whenever you go out, bring with you:

-a reusable water bottle filled with water (this prevents the purchase of plastic water bottles)

-an empty reusable coffee mug that can be filled during your travels, or a full reusable cup mug that you filled at home (prevents paper coffee cups and gives you a discount at many coffee shops, including Starbucks) 

-some kind of small cloth that can be used in place of napkins, tissues, and paper towels

-at least one reusable shopping bag (I have one I bring everywhere that folds up into a little square pouch) 

Forget the Febreeze, Windex, soap solutions, and other chemical alternatives for cleaning your home. You only need four ingredients to efficiently clean the surfaces of your entire house: baking soda, vinegar, bar soap, and essential oils. I keep a spray bottle of vinegar cleaning solution and jars of baking soda and rags at the ready in kitchen and toilet cabinets. Cleaning becomes easy, simple, and quick.

Baking soda

I use baking soda for removing grime on porcelain surfaces such as the tub, toilet exterior, and sink. Baking soda is mildly abrasive, so it removes stuck-on dirt like burned residue on your gas stove efficiently. Further, baking soda neutralizes odors and leaves surfaces clean, which is why it’s great in the kitchen and bathroom. I also sprinkle a little bit of baking soda in bags or shoes to remove odors. Leave a small bowl of baking soda in the fridge and freezer to remove smell.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a versatile disinfectant. Use it for cleaning surfaces, disinfecting electronics, cleaning the toilet seat and bowl, cleaning the sink and shower, washing windows and mirrors, and mopping floors. Additionally, vinegar can be used for disinfecting handkerchiefs (soak for a day in vinegar) and as a softener in the laundry machine. 

Soap

For minimal environmental impact, use a multi-purpose bar soap such as Aleppo, Savon de Marseille, or castile. Buy a bar that comes unpackaged, rub it against a moistened cloth or brush, and use on dishes and surfaces

Essential oils

Forget the Febreeze. Use essential oils in a diffuser to freshen the air, or open windows to let in some fresh air.

Cleaning tools

Use cloth rags from discarded garments to clean surfaces around the house, including the kitchen and bathroom. Dedicate a bin for dirty rags, and soak in vinegar before laundering to disinfect. For dishes, you can use rags, brushes, or natural sponges (sea sponge, loofah are some examples). For hard to reach places such as lid grooves, I use an old toothbrush. I also own bottle cleaner (horse hair and metal) and a copper rag, the latter for removing minimal rust from metal surfaces or scrubbing off labels on jars.

Recipe for an All Purpose Vinegar Cleaner

Mix ¼ vinegar with 1 cup water. Add a few drops of essential oils for fragrance (lavender, orange, eucalyptus, or lemon are some options). For cleaning windows and mirrors, use pure vinegar to avoid streaks. Think the smell of vinegar is too overwhelming? Windex doesn’t smell any better. The fumes from vinegar dissipate quickly.

This all purpose cleaner can be used for the bathroom, kitchen surfaces, floors, and other surfaces. Use warm water instead of cold water for cleaning the floors.

The Zero-Waste Checklist

- Compost natural sponges when they becomes mouldy. 

- Dispose of unusable rags responsible (natural fibres go in the compost, synthetics in the trash).

- Use upcycled jars for storing vinegar and baking soda.

Forget the Febreeze, Windex, soap solutions, and other chemical alternatives for cleaning your home. You only need four ingredients to efficiently clean the surfaces of your entire house: baking soda, vinegar, bar soap, and essential oils. I keep a spray bottle of vinegar cleaning solution and jars of baking soda and rags at the ready in kitchen and toilet cabinets. Cleaning becomes easy, simple, and quick.

Baking soda

I use baking soda for removing grime on porcelain surfaces such as the tub, toilet exterior, and sink. Baking soda is mildly abrasive, so it removes stuck-on dirt like burned residue on your gas stove efficiently. Further, baking soda neutralizes odors and leaves surfaces clean, which is why it’s great in the kitchen and bathroom. I also sprinkle a little bit of baking soda in bags or shoes to remove odors. Leave a small bowl of baking soda in the fridge and freezer to remove smell.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a versatile disinfectant. Use it for cleaning surfaces, disinfecting electronics, cleaning the toilet seat and bowl, cleaning the sink and shower, washing windows and mirrors, and mopping floors. Additionally, vinegar can be used for disinfecting handkerchiefs (soak for a day in vinegar) and as a softener in the laundry machine. 

Soap

For minimal environmental impact, use a multi-purpose bar soap such as Aleppo, Savon de Marseille, or castile. Buy a bar that comes unpackaged, rub it against a moistened cloth or brush, and use on dishes and surfaces

Essential oils

Forget the Febreeze. Use essential oils in a diffuser to freshen the air, or open windows to let in some fresh air.

Cleaning tools

Use cloth rags from discarded garments to clean surfaces around the house, including the kitchen and bathroom. Dedicate a bin for dirty rags, and soak in vinegar before laundering to disinfect. For dishes, you can use rags, brushes, or natural sponges (sea sponge, loofah are some examples). For hard to reach places such as lid grooves, I use an old toothbrush. I also own bottle cleaner (horse hair and metal) and a copper rag, the latter for removing minimal rust from metal surfaces or scrubbing off labels on jars.

Recipe for an All Purpose Vinegar Cleaner

Mix ¼ vinegar with 1 cup water. Add a few drops of essential oils for fragrance (lavender, orange, eucalyptus, or lemon are some options). For cleaning windows and mirrors, use pure vinegar to avoid streaks. Think the smell of vinegar is too overwhelming? Windex doesn’t smell any better. The fumes from vinegar dissipate quickly.

This all purpose cleaner can be used for the bathroom, kitchen surfaces, floors, and other surfaces. Use warm water instead of cold water for cleaning the floors.

The Zero-Waste Checklist

- Compost natural sponges when they becomes mouldy. 

- Dispose of unusable rags responsible (natural fibres go in the compost, synthetics in the trash).

- Use upcycled jars for storing vinegar and baking soda.

365 Days of Type

365 Days of Type is a personal design project I began Janury 1st, 2013, inspired by the resolution to spend more of my spare time productively.

This subject has very much been on my mind lately as we gear up for our launch at Circa. I’d love to dive in further on the topic sometime, but right now I’d just like to just kick off a few thoughts on work/life balance.

I recently read something that said that the “best” folks in the industry are the ones without a work/life balance…

…

Starting a company is the very act of creating something from nothing. You’re figuratively giving birth to something that didn’t exist before you created it. Giving birth is a process that entails intense pain and suffering. (My daughter Vivian turns 1 next month.) But when you’re done with all of the pain, you’re looking at something magical that you’ve created through your own hard work (and typically several others’). As a Father (and a business owner), I can tell you that it’s worth it. The hard work and pain are absolutely worth it.

I think the advise to take off evenings and weekends focuses too much on the execution rather than the strategy. I think the bigger piece of advice here is this: Your idea and company are probably going to fail. Don’t ruin your life, relationships, and health in the process because you’ll probably need all three when that happens. It’s up to the entrepreneur in all of us to discern when it’s time to hustle and when it’s time to pull over, recharge the batteries and take in the scenery. Entrepreneurship is a process.

That said, I’ve found that taking care of yourself is a major part of being a quality founder and team leader. The long hours, missed sleep, design debates, investor relations, and customer support issues can add up quick. It’s super important to keep your head in a good place so that you can lead your team with the right attitude and a clear vision. Spending time with family, friends, or even by myself refuels my mental resources and makes me a better CEO.

Building a long-lasting, strong company that makes a difference in people’s life is one of the things I want to do while I’m on this earth. So I’m willing to put in a lot of effort to pursue that life goal. I don’t have the work-life balance thing perfected, but I think the best founders don’t see a clear distinction between the two.