5. Working On vs In the Business
Last week I spent too much time "in" the business – actioning urgent tasks, contributing on design, writing, and making small, quick decisions. Instead, I should have been spending it "on" the business. So what am I doing about it?
In episode five I chose to focus on one topic that's been on my mind: spending my time in the best way possible as a founder, and as the CEO.
I'm sure many of the others founders listening along also started out as makers – either as programmers, designers, or perhaps another creative field.
But as you've grown your business and added people to your team, perhaps you've struggled with what I frequently come up against: prioritising time between actioning work "in" the business and working "on" the business.
In this episode I share a few of the ways I'm trying to keep myself on track.
Key highlights / actions this week:
- To be a better version of yourself, try to visualise that person and ask what they would do next time you're in a tricky situation.
- Box your time – either by hour or by day, to give you time for the important and the urgent tasks.
- Don't be too harsh on yourself or your team-mates: everyone in the world is tired and exhausted after over a year of the global pandemic. It's OK to not be your 100% self right now.
Thanks again to everyone who is tuning in – if you have any thoughts on this episode, let me know!
Links and further reading:
- Paul Graham's Maker vs manager essay: http://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html
- A post I wrote a while back on time boxing: https://www.jamesgill.co/time-boxing/
Music: Jakarta by Bonsaye, provided by https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/yjub4r/