Nothing beats deep work

What does Olympic swimming have in common with building a business? Turns out, more than you'd think.

I had such a great day today.

Why? Because after 8 weeks of nonstop meetings, demos, on-boardings, syncs, and “check-ins”, I finally had a day with 4 uninterrupted hours.

4 beautiful, blissful hours.

No messages, no emails, and most of all - no meetings. And I got SO much done. Typically, the same tasks would have taken me a week - and even then, I doubt I would’ve finished everything without working more than usual.

It reminds me of Paul Graham’s famous essay on the Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule. Meetings cost makers. Not just in the time that they take up, but also in the time it takes to switch context before and after. Anything even remotely difficult or challenging takes a few hours of thinking and tinkering to solve, so just a couple of meetings can destroy an entire day’s worth of productivity for the maker.

Now as a founder, specifically the one leading growth & sales, I don’t really have the luxury of being a “maker” anymore. I did in the first couple of years of the company, but we’ve had to specialize over time to deal with the volume of customers.

And this is a great problem to have! A year ago, I’d have loved to be in the exact position that I’m in right now, a zebra striped calendar packed with demos and on-boardings. Even though I might complain occasionally, I have to remind myself of the privileged position I’m in. I’m so grateful for it.

But sometimes, just sometimes, it’s nice to have a break. A day without many calls.

Here’s the thing.

Growing the startup is like a 100m swim.

99% of the time, you’re underwater - pushing violently forward, trying to do whatever you can to move the business forward. Faster and faster, harder and harder. More growth, more demos, more customers, more, more more, more.

But even Olympic swimmers need to come up for a breath during the race. That’s what today felt like.

Now it’s time to swim again.