Startup Experts Reveal Their Top Productivity Advice

Coming Up (00:00:00)

• The importance of productivity in startup success is discussed.
• The need for startup founders to be a "10x multiplier" and to get more out of themselves is emphasized.

Tip 1: Focus on your customers (00:00:48)

• Startup founders are advised to focus on their customers' needs and to stay laser-focused on providing solutions for those needs.
• The danger of becoming distracted after identifying the customer's main problem is noted.

Tip 2: Avoid shiny objects and focus on the core mission (00:01:19)

• Founders should avoid distracting, shiny objects and focus on what will move the needle for the business.
• Founders tend to fall into the trap of looking for easy and fun things and avoid the non-obvious things that are important for the business.

Tip 3: Write down and track your KPIs (00:02:26)

• Tracking KPIs can help maintain focus; writing down priorities and frequently auditing time allocation towards these can increase productivity.
• Using simple tools, such as a notepad or spreadsheet, over complex productivity tools, can be more effective.

Tip 4: Avoid productivity fads (00:04:48)

• Extreme productivity hacks or 'productivity porn' can be misleading and are generally not practiced by successful startup founders.
• Most successful founders work on their startup consistently because they enjoy doing so, not because they are trying to maximize their time.

Tip 5: Real work vs. fake work (00:06:07)

• Startup founders must avoid 'fake work', which feels like work but contributes nothing to the progress of the startup.
• Founders should always consider the particular goal they are trying to achieve with their work.

Tip 6: Divide your day up into two parts: Meetings and creative work (00:08:23)

• The concept of maker schedules and manager schedules is beneficial. The first part of the day could be used for meetings (manager schedule), and the latter part for deep, thoughtful work (maker schedule).

Tip 7: Be intentional about time spend on social media (00:09:03)

• Founders should avoid spending too much time on social media and falling into the trap of believing in their company's media personality.
• It's crucial to focus on the actual product development and connect with real customers instead of chasing validation on social media.

Tip 8: Use social media to build relationships with customers (00:09:56)

• An exception to social media use is when a company's customers are present on such platforms.
• The main goal should always be customer-related, using social media platforms where your customers frequent is an effective practice.

Tip 9: Stack rank your priorities (00:11:06)

• Priorities should be stack-ranked, forcing the founder to focus on the most important tasks.
• To maintain focus, it's crucial to have one main priority and say no to everything else that is not directly related to that goal.

Tip 10: Identify what is NOT a priority (00:12:59)

• Time management involves deciding what not to do as much as deciding what to do.
• It's crucial to be assertive about what things are not a priority and consciously avoid them.
• Prioritization may involve disappointing people or passing on interesting opportunities due to time constraints.
• Successful leaders are aware of their strengths and focus on tasks they are uniquely suited for.
• It's important to empower others to handle tasks the leader is not proficient at.

Tip 11: Avoid multitasking (00:14:39)

• Most people are not as good at multitasking as they believe they are.
• Productivity increases when focusing on one task at a time, instead of jumping between tasks.
• Founders should focus on core responsibilities like customer relationships and product development, de-prioritizing tasks that do not contribute to these goals.

Tip 12: Productivity tools doesn't substitute work (00:15:13)

• The most productive founders do not rely heavily on productivity tools and apps.
• Instead, they understand that nothing can replace the necessity of putting in the time and work required.
• Looking for shortcuts or ways to avoid hard work can lead to struggling in the long run.