GREAT MINDS NEVER THINK ALIKE
This is a compendium of recipes for how some people work. The routines, habits, hacks, gadgets and escapes to consistently live their best life at work and at play. While high performance is the common thread, the personalities couldn’t be more diverse, and the gems we found couldn’t be more timely and inspiring.
This interview series is brought by The Great Room Singapore.
- What is your morning hack for a productive day?
Andrew Li: Before I start my day, I usually meditate and do about an hour of exercise in the mornings.
- What is the best purchase you have done recently that has upped your game at work? (App/Technology/Wellness gadget/Nutrition)
Andrew Li: I recently downloaded a meditation app called Headspace. It’s a guided meditation, so it’s easy to follow if you’re new to it. The founder of the app basically walks you through what he thinks you should be doing during your meditation. It starts from the basics, which you have to go through 10 times before you move on to the next course. From self-esteem to relationship matters, there are many different subjects you can explore and meditations you can do.
- What or where do you eat when you are alone for lunch on a workday? Is there a favourite takeaway spot?
Andrew Li: I practice intermittent fasting, so I don’t usually eat lunch. I start eating around 4-5 pm and tend to just have some fruits or soup. I pack my own food from home, so I prepare it for myself at work.
- What is the last book you read that created an impact on you and name 1–2 key takeaways?
Andrew Li: I just finished reading a book called Good to Great by Jim Collins. It’s a management book that analyses and identifies companies that have outperformed in the stock market in the span of 10 years, and how they grew from good to great companies. One of the things he discusses is about having the right people on your life raft. Essentially, if you were to start a new company, who on your team are the people you’d identify as the ones you wouldn’t survive without.
- Do you have a favourite superhero costume/accessory that you rely on for the most important business meetings?
Andrew Li: I don’t actually have an accessory in particular that I rely on for business meetings, but there is a ring that my brothers and I have. It’s been with us for decades and we recently renewed the ring in Japan. It’s something that signifies our bond.
- Do you have a favourite place/country you love travelling to that rejuvenates you?
Andrew Li: It’ll probably be London because it’s where I was born and where I spent about close to 15 years studying and working. London has a lot of nostalgia for me because a lot of my best friends are from there as well. It’s special to me because of the fact that it holds so many memories and played such an important part of my life.
- Do you have a favourite quote you live by?
Andrew Li: In London, I went to the school that Winston Churchill used to go to, and came across one of his sayings, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” This relates to me on many levels. I do triathlons and Ironman competitions, and going through it is tough, but if you just push yourself to keep going, there will always be an end in sight. It’s the same on the business front, no matter how tough it is, we’ll get there.
- If you’re not doing what you are doing now, what would you be doing?
Andrew Li: I’d like to think that I’d be a chef. I like cooking a lot, which is why I make sure I get home early enough to prepare my own meals.
Continue these sentences…
- My favourite time-waster is Netflix.
- If I am having a really challenging day, I will reset by playing with my dogs.
- I have an irrational love for spaghetti bolognese.
