Wasted Time Is My Entrepreneurial Nightmare
There Are Only 25 Hours In a Day
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I want to talk about one of my biggest flaws as an entrepreneur. It’s a weird one, kind of random, but it’s also one of those things that when you bring it up, other people are like “Oh yeah. I do that too.”
I’m constantly worried about whether or not I’m wasting my time.
From the minute I first open my laptop every morning to the minute I put my phone on the charger before bed, I find that I’m constantly trying my hardest to maximize every waking moment.
This is not the weird part, nor is it the part that I classify as a flaw. Most entrepreneurs are Type A like myself, and I believe all of us entrepreneurs feel the weight of perpetually being the underdog — fewer resources, less available cash… less time.
But along with being a classic Type A, I’m also, again like most entrepreneurs, a classic over-thinker.
These two personality traits actually work well together. Being Type A means that, more often than not, I’m out-hustling my competition. Being an over-thinker means that if I do lose to my competition, more often than not, I’ve got backup plans.
However, it’s also a combination of traits that has me constantly worried about whether what I’m doing at the moment is going to provide a return worth the time spent.
It’s a shitty way to live, actually, but I’ve over-thought that aspect of it too, and here’s how I try to mitigate the hand-wringing.
Stop Separating the Strategic From the Tactical
Time spent on the tactical part of business means more revenue in the bank. How could that be wasted time?
Well, after building and growing several startups from zero to exit, each experience has definitely taught me that if you keep doing the same things the same way for too long, the returns will inevitably diminish. So the strategic side of me is always screaming at my tactical side to figure out how to make more out of less.
Working on the strategic side is a joy though, for almost any entrepreneur. It’s why we got into this in the first place. For me, thinking about growth, experimenting with…
