5 ms·

Productivity hacks of a startup dad

107 points by logicman 13y ago

chetan51 13y ago
The part I found most useful: Recently, I have been practicing a new time management technique and I am calling it the “Minimum Viable Daily Tasks”. Here is how it works: Choose the minimum amount of work that needs to be done everyday so that you have a big smile on your face when you are heading home in the evening. If you accomplish anything more then it is a bonus.
- logicman 13y ago
  :) works well.
- wittysense 13y ago
  Isn't that called "low-hanging fruit"?
  - skrebbel 13y ago
    yes, so?
- obviouslygreen 13y ago
  It's hard to call that bad advice... it most certainly is great, until you have nothing left to do that makes you happy. At that point you might either consider yourself a failure or realize that this just is not realistic. Jobs have ups and downs, and no situation is perfect for anything, whether it's raising kids or maintaining your own particular sanity. Expecting a prescription for "being happy while doing thing x I have not done" to work for you is setting yourself up for failure. Normally I'd say this is likely to help many people a bit along the way, but raising kids might be the only thing too personal and individual to warrant any kind of "well hey this worked for entrepreneur X in The Ess Vee so it should work for me."
  - dasil003 13y ago
    I think the point was that setting a goal and accomplishing it puts a smile on your face, not that the particulars were enjoyable per se.
wittysense 13y ago
Put magnets overtop your prefrontal cortex to increase your potential for Flow.
hrayr 13y ago
I wish there was a guide for dads (or moms) for balancing a one year old running around the house, running a software consultancy, an early stage startup and an MS degree on the side, all from home.
- waster 13y ago
  Maybe I'll have to write that.
  - hrayr 13y ago
    Sooner rather than later please. Thanks!
    - ScottWhigham 13y ago
      You won't have time to read it, not with all of what you have going on! ;)
- logicman 13y ago
  Wow that is quite a lot to juggle :) Good luck and thanks for reading this post.
- mathrawka 13y ago
  It may not be the advice you want to hear, but even without a kid you have too much going on at once. It is better to do one thing really well than many things not so well. Figure out the priorities in your life now and focus on getting that done. (This is coming from someone who has a 3 year old, is a co-founder of an early stage startup, and always has other things to do as well)
  - krichman 13y ago
    Yeah I think the guide is; get rid of the degree, consultancy, startup, or child (in decreasingly sociopathic order).
k__ 13y ago
Are kids and a family really a big thing before your thirties in the US?
- Tyrannosaurs 13y ago
  The idea of waiting until you're 30 to have kids is a common one but is less simple than most people think. If you're with someone in your 20s and you both agree to it then it's great, but if you aren't then the whole timing thing is a long way from simple. You're talking about finding someone, checking they're the right someone, settling down, marriage, kids etc. is a pretty long and complex chain to just assume will happen, and you're up against either your or your partners ticking biological clock (fertility decreasing as you get older and dropping off pretty sharply in your 30s). It's all doable but I would say if your plan is to be having kids in your early 30s, that's a plan that you need to start acting on in your mid 20s rather than finding yourself single at the age of 30 and having to start there.
- quaffapint 13y ago
  It's a decision you need to make - play now or play later. We chose to have our kids early on, so we have more energy to play with them, and once they are grown we still have enough energy to do whatever we would like to do then.
- overgryphon 13y ago
  There are benefits to having children earlier. They get to know their grandparents more. You have more energy for them. You get to know them for more of your life. Not sure these benefits outweigh increased stability or other things, but they are worth considering.
Tyrannosaurs 13y ago
What I really like about this is it doesn't focus on hacks around the kids. I'm sceptical about the idea you could hack being a parent and if you want to you should probably think about whether parenting is something you really want to do. If you choose to bring someone else into this world, you owe it to them to give being their mum or dad your absolute best shot and not try and cut corners. As Jeff Atwood said of Steve Jobs around the time he quit Stack Overflow "if you're going to fk something up, fk up the iPad, don't fk up your kids". Obviously there are things you can do (usually around having an understanding partner who will put in the time you can't if that has to happen) but don't fool yourself it's the same as allof you spending quality time as a family.
10dpd 13y ago
These tips are great because they are not just for parents with kids but for anyone who wants to be more productive. I especially like the tip around writing down a plan for the next day the night before - I've started doing this recently and it enables me to offload thoughts and worries about the next day and focus on getting a good night sleep.
jagan123 13y ago
Simple & great list. I think in this age of 24/7 happening things, "planning on previous night" isn't going to be good always.
huhtenberg 13y ago
Oxymoron (ox·y·mo·ron) is a combination of contradictory or incongruous words. For example: Early in the morning when everyone is asleep Between our friends and family I am aware of exactly one toddler that sleeps until 8 in the morning and she is widely regarded as a miracle child for just that reason.
rnernento 13y ago
Simple, well written, and useful. I think these apply to everyone (with or without kids, startup or not). +1
rnernento 13y ago
Simple, well written, and useful. I think these apply to everyone (with or without kids, startup or not). +1
harel 13y ago
He's quite right. I never equate hours in front of a screen to productivity. Its wrong. I am (for the last 8 years) a dad to 2 boys and have worked in start ups for the last 16 years or so. Sometimes I have to leave early, sometimes I start later, most of the time I drop them off at school, etc. The last thing I want is to come home late to see two sleeping kids and then leave early the next day.

107 points by logicman 13y ago

The part I found most useful: Recently, I have been practicing a new time management technique and I am calling it the “Minimum Viable Daily Tasks”. Here is how it works: Choose the minimum amount of work that needs to be done everyday so that you have a big smile on your face when you are heading home in the evening. If you accomplish anything more then it is a bonus.

logicman 13y ago
:) works well.
wittysense 13y ago
Isn't that called "low-hanging fruit"?
- skrebbel 13y ago
  yes, so?
obviouslygreen 13y ago
It's hard to call that bad advice... it most certainly is great, until you have nothing left to do that makes you happy. At that point you might either consider yourself a failure or realize that this just is not realistic. Jobs have ups and downs, and no situation is perfect for anything, whether it's raising kids or maintaining your own particular sanity. Expecting a prescription for "being happy while doing thing x I have not done" to work for you is setting yourself up for failure. Normally I'd say this is likely to help many people a bit along the way, but raising kids might be the only thing too personal and individual to warrant any kind of "well hey this worked for entrepreneur X in The Ess Vee so it should work for me."
- dasil003 13y ago
  I think the point was that setting a goal and accomplishing it puts a smile on your face, not that the particulars were enjoyable per se.

wittysense 13y ago

Put magnets overtop your prefrontal cortex to increase your potential for Flow.

hrayr 13y ago

I wish there was a guide for dads (or moms) for balancing a one year old running around the house, running a software consultancy, an early stage startup and an MS degree on the side, all from home.

waster 13y ago
Maybe I'll have to write that.
- hrayr 13y ago
  Sooner rather than later please. Thanks!
  - ScottWhigham 13y ago
    You won't have time to read it, not with all of what you have going on! ;)
logicman 13y ago
Wow that is quite a lot to juggle :) Good luck and thanks for reading this post.
mathrawka 13y ago
It may not be the advice you want to hear, but even without a kid you have too much going on at once. It is better to do one thing really well than many things not so well. Figure out the priorities in your life now and focus on getting that done. (This is coming from someone who has a 3 year old, is a co-founder of an early stage startup, and always has other things to do as well)
- krichman 13y ago
  Yeah I think the guide is; get rid of the degree, consultancy, startup, or child (in decreasingly sociopathic order).

k__ 13y ago

Are kids and a family really a big thing before your thirties in the US?

Tyrannosaurs 13y ago
The idea of waiting until you're 30 to have kids is a common one but is less simple than most people think. If you're with someone in your 20s and you both agree to it then it's great, but if you aren't then the whole timing thing is a long way from simple. You're talking about finding someone, checking they're the right someone, settling down, marriage, kids etc. is a pretty long and complex chain to just assume will happen, and you're up against either your or your partners ticking biological clock (fertility decreasing as you get older and dropping off pretty sharply in your 30s). It's all doable but I would say if your plan is to be having kids in your early 30s, that's a plan that you need to start acting on in your mid 20s rather than finding yourself single at the age of 30 and having to start there.
quaffapint 13y ago
It's a decision you need to make - play now or play later. We chose to have our kids early on, so we have more energy to play with them, and once they are grown we still have enough energy to do whatever we would like to do then.
overgryphon 13y ago
There are benefits to having children earlier. They get to know their grandparents more. You have more energy for them. You get to know them for more of your life. Not sure these benefits outweigh increased stability or other things, but they are worth considering.

Tyrannosaurs 13y ago

What I really like about this is it doesn't focus on hacks around the kids. I'm sceptical about the idea you could hack being a parent and if you want to you should probably think about whether parenting is something you really want to do. If you choose to bring someone else into this world, you owe it to them to give being their mum or dad your absolute best shot and not try and cut corners. As Jeff Atwood said of Steve Jobs around the time he quit Stack Overflow "if you're going to fk something up, fk up the iPad, don't fk up your kids". Obviously there are things you can do (usually around having an understanding partner who will put in the time you can't if that has to happen) but don't fool yourself it's the same as allof you spending quality time as a family.

10dpd 13y ago

These tips are great because they are not just for parents with kids but for anyone who wants to be more productive. I especially like the tip around writing down a plan for the next day the night before - I've started doing this recently and it enables me to offload thoughts and worries about the next day and focus on getting a good night sleep.

jagan123 13y ago

Simple & great list. I think in this age of 24/7 happening things, "planning on previous night" isn't going to be good always.

huhtenberg 13y ago

Oxymoron (ox·y·mo·ron) is a combination of contradictory or incongruous words. For example: Early in the morning when everyone is asleep Between our friends and family I am aware of exactly one toddler that sleeps until 8 in the morning and she is widely regarded as a miracle child for just that reason.

rnernento 13y ago

Simple, well written, and useful. I think these apply to everyone (with or without kids, startup or not). +1

rnernento 13y ago

Simple, well written, and useful. I think these apply to everyone (with or without kids, startup or not). +1

harel 13y ago

He's quite right. I never equate hours in front of a screen to productivity. Its wrong. I am (for the last 8 years) a dad to 2 boys and have worked in start ups for the last 16 years or so. Sometimes I have to leave early, sometimes I start later, most of the time I drop them off at school, etc. The last thing I want is to come home late to see two sleeping kids and then leave early the next day.