Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Gunnari Auvinen has a career in software engineering and project leadership extending two decades. With Labviva since 2020, he is responsible for architectural planning and review as well as system design efforts. Gunnari Auvinen notably guided the process of implementing Labviva’s next generation processing system, which employs representational state transfer (REST) and event-driven architectures in new microservices.
Previously a staff software engineer with Turo, Mr. Auvinen guided a variety of engineering platform initiatives, including a migration of legacy JSPs/JavaScript web apps into a new React/Redux tech stack. He also researched the process of migrating to a mono repo code repository and delivered a successful proposal. He oversaw the setup and testing of a new build pipeline for the mono repo solution, which hosts code from diverse projects in a single location.
Mr. Auvinen’s experience extends to a role as a professional education and curriculum engineer with Hack Reactor. He conducted a dozen workshops on full-stack JavaScript methodologies spanning the globe, and advised on JavaScript ecosystem engineering obstacles. An avid hiker, Gunnari Auvinen enjoys exploring New England’s White Mountains in his free time.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I normally wake up at 5am to get my day started. The reason that I do this, is that I like to work out in the morning and I don’t like to do that fasted. By waking up at 5am, I’m able to have breakfast and then start my workout around 7am. Once my workout is done, I get ready for my day and start working.
One of the ways that I add some productivity to my day is by doing meal prep on the weekend. This way, when it’s time to eat, I don’t need to think about what I’m going to make, whether I have the ingredients, etc. Instead, I’m able to take pre-made meals out of the fridge or put together the components that I made over the weekend. By doing this, I have to make fewer choices, which decreases the cognitive overhead my normal day-to-day tasks consume.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Typically, the final product is through some sort of text editor. Most of my ideas these days are either code-related or connected to the written word. Both of these tend to require a significant amount of time contemplating the subject.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is very exciting, though it’s also a little terrifying. There’s so much good that can be accomplished through the judicious use of AI, yet it’s also very easy to be used for malicious purposes. While AI can do many different things for us quite well, we’ll have to be mindful as we use it so that we retain our ability to think critically.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
In order to be my most productive, I do not have personal email, chats, etc. open on my work laptop. I find them to be very distracting and they break my flow way too easily. Ideally, I’ll also put my phone face down, such that I can’t see or feel notifications. Finally, I’ll turn on Do Not Disturb so that I don’t get any notifications.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Take care of yourself earlier in your life, both mentally and physically. As you work on these different aspects of yourself, they have a positive feedback loop on one another. I found that as I worked on my mental health, I was able to begin consistently taking care of my body through exercise, which allowed me to work on my mental health, etc. Now that I’ve spent time working on both of those elements of myself, I find myself to be much happier and more fulfilled in life.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
Maybe a lot of people agree with this or maybe not, but I think it’s very normal to eat peanut butter straight out of the jar with a spoon. It’s so delicious that I don’t think it needs to be paired with anything else.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Walk three to five miles every day. I find that I sleep better on days where I manage to fit in those miles. Frequently, I find that if I am stuck on a problem, if I go for a walk, I’m able to either figure out a solution or at the very least, figure out my next step.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I take a step back from whatever I was working on right then and take a break. Ideally, I’d head outside and go for a walk. Getting out into nature allows me to disconnect from whatever was troubling me, mentally reset, and to then recenter and refocus myself.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Taking the time to advocate for myself has had a massive impact on my career. The way that I’ve done this is to make sure that I’ve told my managers what I’m interested in doing. This has been everything from what I enjoy and don’t enjoy working on, to telling them that I want to get promoted. By advocating for myself, my managers have seen that I’m driven and invested. Also, it has helped them in our 1:1 because there’s always something to check in on when you’re working on getting promoted.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
It wasn’t really a failure per se, but I’d like to highlight that it’s ok to pivot to a different field. When I left college, I was very happy with my chosen profession of electrical and computer engineering. It served me very well for years, but eventually I felt stuck. I took a sabbatical to do some traveling and to figure out what I wanted to do next. After some consideration, I realized I wanted to get into software engineering. At this point, I figured out what I’d need to do to successfully pivot into software engineering, and I did that. Even though your current job or profession isn’t working out doesn’t mean that you’re a failure, it means that you need to figure out what to do next, which is completely within your power.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Obsidian. It’s a note-taking app that I use as my digital journal. At work I use it as my engineering notebook. This has saved me countless hours multiple times, as I’ve been able to find the solution to a problem with those notes. In my personal life, I’ve used it as a notebook for classes, job hunting and interviewing, and also as a scratchpad for ideas or website articles.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
I really enjoy listening to the podcast Iron Culture. It goes into the history as well as the present of lifting and bodybuilding. Getting to listen to the latest science on weightlifting and nutrition studies is directly applicable to my personal interest in the subjects.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
The TV series that I’ve really been enjoying lately is The Great British Baking Show. There’s something about the show that’s so wholesome and relatable, which makes it so easy to enjoy. It’s been something that I’ve been able to take in by myself, as well as something I can share with other people, and really allows me to enhance those connections. Watching all of the baking is also inspiring me to start experimenting with some baking here and there, which I find to be really rewarding, if very challenging.
Key learnings
- Productivity through routine & preparation. Establishing a structured daily routine, including early morning workouts and meal prepping, minimizes decision fatigue and enhances efficiency.
- The power of walking & reflection. Regular walking improves sleep, aids in problem-solving, and serves as a mental reset when feeling overwhelmed or unfocused.
- Career growth through self-advocacy. Communicating professional aspirations and preferences to managers fosters career advancement and ensures alignment with fulfilling work.
- Flexibility in career paths. Changing industries or professions is not a failure but an opportunity to realign with personal goals and interests.
- Importance of kindness in business & life. Whether dealing with employees, competitors, or oneself, practicing kindness leads to stronger relationships and long-term success.