Who are you, and what do you do?
My name is Luke Jacobson. I am the CEO and Engineer at Moment Skis in Reno, NV.
What is one habit of yours that helps you be productive?
I wouldn’t consider myself OCD but I do like routine and making all things in life as efficient as possible. I am always thinking of a faster and better way to get things done, no matter how small the task. I feel like this constant reanalysis of how to carry out a task has added a lot of extra productivity in my life.
What is your morning routine and how does it help you get the most out of your day?
Hit snooze once, review my inbox and calendar since we have suppliers and vendors all over the world, make my coffee and head straight to the factory while listening to NPR (probably Marketplace with Kai Ryssdal). This gives me a quick reminder of what tasks I need to get done during the day along with letting myself think about something else besides just work. Once I am at the factory its full speed ahead getting my work done along with answering all the tough questions that my 20+ employees bring to me all day.
In the last few years, what lifestyle, habit or behavior change has had the biggest positive impact on your life?
Changing our factory from an 8 hour day 5 days a week schedule to a 10 hour day 4 day a week schedule has had the biggest positive impact on my life. At the factory the machines require a lot of setup and clean up. If the machines are running, you might as well keep them going a little longer, you’ll get more output. For the employees and I working 8 hours is tiring, so you might as well work 2 more hours. This has allowed me and the employees to have a longer weekend and enjoy life more. I still look at Saturday/Sunday as my weekend and Monday as my personal workday to get all of life’s errands and chores done. Having time to get all this done when you’re not tired after work has relieved a lot of stress.
When you feel unfocused, what do you do?
Honestly, I never feel too unfocused.
What is one piece of software or a web service that you get immense value out of? How do you use it?
My right-hand man and VP at Moment, Maxwell Smith, created amazing material usage spreadsheets and production calendars using Google Sheets. We have computers all around the factory linked into these sheets to track daily usage, the status of builds, daily output goals and averages. I haven’t seen software that comes close to this custom build made exactly for our factory. Without it the factory wouldn’t work as well as it does.
What is the one book you recommend most often and why?
The Obstacle is The Way – Ryan Holiday
It takes a lot of ideas from Stoicism and shows how people in history have used them to overcome challenges with perseverance and resilience. Having this mindset is key to running a business with unique daily challenges.
What advice would you give a smart and ambitious recent college graduate? What advice should they ignore?
Get experience. Be persistent. Ask questions. Get an internship, paid or unpaid. Read everything you can on the subject you’re interested in. People will help you along the way, but you need to do everything you can to be a master of your craft.
When you’re asking questions and learning from others you don’t need to agree or take every shred of advice they give you. That being said you can typically get something out of every conversation even if you whole heartedly disagree with them, maybe you can just learn to understand a new perspective, it doesn’t mean you need to apply it to your life.
What is your favorite quote, one you aim to live by?
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
– Marcus Aurelius