Founder honesty time!

One of the biggest challenges as an early founder has been the sense of guilt and “wasted time” of doing anything that isn’t directly startup work.

Like groceries.

The worst part is I know better! It’s all shit that needs to happen to keep going.

But I love what I do and what we’re building, so taking my eye off it for even a second feels like neglect.

And tbh sometimes it is but still needs to happen.

And other times it takes a shift in perspective to recognize the “non-work” stuff is actually work too.

I had to learn this for exercise + meditation + a few other things I do to keep in top form and prevent burnout back in August. It felt like wasted time. I had to learn it wasn’t. That was difficult for me.

Some folks will see this and be like,

“Fuck hustle culture.”

But this isn’t that. This is the raw reality of building something net new as a small team at a point in development where success or failure is wholly dependent on you, your focus, and the work you put in.

It’s important to recognize that the guilt is real and the stuff you do to keep yourself going is work too.

We need to share strategies to cope so we can all be more successful.

And finally, we need to share how common these feelings are so others don’t feel alone.

DMs open.