Brianne Garcia

I don’t know if “worrying” is the right word, but since leaving the incubator program and beginning the building phase of PARCELD, I can’t shake this feeling. This feeling is the result of crossing things off my checklist, but feeling like I haven’t accomplished anything. it is also the result of feeling like baby steps aren’t enough, like I should be accomplishing great things every day. Of course, we know this is not how companies are built. 

I even have a post-it note next to my work space with a quote from James Dyson (founder and CEO of the Dyson company), that reads: “There is no such thing as a quantum leap. There is only dogged persistence, and in the end, you make it look like a quantum leap.” 

I keep referring back to this quote as I sit down in front of an Excel doc and map out my heat map for brands and retailers, or create a timeline in Asana. These things don’t feel like founder activities, and this is perhaps the result of the somewhat frothy coverage of startups circulating the internet. But I keep referring to this quote because it’s true. Instagram was mediocre as Burbn, Pinterest was stuck at 10k users after almost a year, and Foursquare was Dodgeball. I’m not trying to build any of these companies, but their founders likely all had 12-hour days at cafes only to realize nothing epic happened that day, and that the next day would be similar in its lack of epicness. This is where the dogged persistence comes into play, in knowing this execution and problem solving will hopefully pay off at some hypothetical dot on a timeline in the future…and maybe not even the near future. 

I’m also trying to take less “for-fun” meetings, in which I chat away with someone “interested” in what I’m doing or with someone I’m simply “interested” in, and only take meaningful meetings where the discussion is serious and either helps me and my business, or someone else and their business/life. I realized that one fun coffee meeting was taking up at least an hour of my day, an hour that is precious to me at this time. Which takes me to my next concern…

Time management. Last week I blogged about time management and my goals, and to follow up with that post, let me tell you: this is way more difficult than I imagined. This also proves I have and am wasting way more time than I had ever realized. Once I said I’d work in 90 minute chunks, and instead of turning this on like a switch, I’m working towards that. I realized I am an internet junkie, a social media glutton. If you’re someone who likes to feel plugged in to the world, try NOT opening a new tab and checking facebook, or clicking on Hootsuite when you’re bored in that excel doc. This is and has been so extremely difficult and telling. I also recently referred to a post from Buzzfeed editor John Herrman, called “How Tech is Making Us All Neurotics.” It is. It is if we don’t feel in control of our usage of it. And sometimes I don’t. 

This also has to do with constantly feeling like I should be working, and by working, this usually means sitting down in front of my laptop and doing something. But I also realized that a lot of what I was “doing” was actually not doing at all, but passively consuming, which doesn’t necessarily help me as a founder or as a person. Sure, consuming the news everyday is important and a habit I feel no need to get rid of, but watching my Twitter timeline update or scrolling through my Prismatic feed only makes switching over to that Excel doc or my pitch deck feel less exciting and feel more like another task associated with my laptop. 

Last night (while endlessly browsing), I did stumble upon an article in The New Yorker called The Virtues of Daydreaming. A new study claims that

Creative solutions may be facilitated specifically by simple external tasks that maximize mind-wandering. The benefit of these simple tasks is that they consume just enough attention to keep us occupied, while leaving plenty of mental resources left over for errant daydreams.

…”We always assume that you get more done when you’re consciously paying attention to a problem,” Schooler told me. “That’s what it means, after all, to be ‘working on something.’ But this is often a mistake. If you’re trying to solve a complex problem, then you need to give yourself a real break, to let the mind incubate the problem all by itself. We shouldn’t be so afraid to actually take some time off.

…We think we’re wasting time, but, actually, an intellectual fountain really is spurting

 Music to my ears and the only confirmation I needed to STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER.

When I went to Cape Cod for Memorial Day? I felt guilty the entire weekend. When I spent last Sunday sloth-like, lounging with friends and watching movies? I felt more anxious than ever. I was wondering the whole time how I was going to get new users to test my MVP, and how these as-of-yet unattained users will be incentivized to give me feedback. And what about the two separate build phases I now need to think through when raising money?

And you know what? Worrying about these things does no good. Neither does worrying that what I’m doing at any given time, even if it’s as simple or menial as updating my executive summary or researching customer lifetime value, is not big, grand or exciting. Baby steps are the only steps at this point. What I’m working on now is taking these baby steps in focused, concentrated 90-minute chunks, and using my free time to, well, enjoy being free. No one wants to be a slave to their company, or we’d all end up hating what we do. I’m still excited everyday when I wake up, and I want to keep it that way.

I’ve read several times from a variety of sources that announcing your goals to friends, family and now with social media, the world (or those who follow you) improves your likelihood of success in reaching those goals. 

As they say, startup founders “wear many hats.” I wish these hats were cool snapbacks or fashionably veiled tiny hats, but they’re not. On any given day, I feel like I’m in a movie where I am the lone actor playing several characters. In doing this, I sometimes wake up confused and wonder who I need to be that day, and what I need to accomplish. I also often feel like my focus is slipping through my fingers like sand.

At the end of the day, what do I have to show for my exhaustion? 

For me, setting goals and managing my time correctly is so important. I’ll often find myself wasting time scrolling through my Tumblr dashboard when really, I originally gave myself 10 minutes to schedule posts for my startup’s tumblr page, or I’ll get lost lurking in various news articles with close to a dozen tabs open on my browser. All of this distracts me from whatever set of tasks and objectives I have for that day, and no one loses out on this deal but me and, more importantly, PARCELD. 

I want to be the most productive founder, person and friend I can, without sacrificing sanity or happiness in the process. Some of the founders, VCs and creatives I respect the most blog weekly or daily, and are still focused on their businesses, families and relationships. It can be done. With that said, I am following with a set of goals I want to accomplish and make part of my daily routine over the course of the summer. I’ve separated these into two parts: Work + Life. We all know these two intersect, and in my case, more often than not, are almost one in the same. I need to fix this. I’m going to try. 

Every week, I’m going to check in with successes and failures. Think this is overshare? You’re right. But I’d love hearing your comments, struggles and successes as well. Let’s do this together. I’m starting with 7 goals, and working my way up from there.

WORK:

1. WORK during my peak hours.

And actually work. I am a self-proclaimed obnoxious morning person and absolutely thrive in hours between 6:30 - 8:30 am. But all too often I find myself reading emails, browsing twitter and (yes, admittedly) lurking on PInterest instead of using this time to be truly productive. I will set my goals for the next day the night prior, and aim to accomplish one or two in that extremely crucial part of my day.. 

2. Work in 90 minute chunks of time on one specific thing.

Focus is difficult and time is money. This made so much sense to me when I read it: “success at work means delivering the goods: no matter how good your relationships are or how fast you answer your email, you will not be successful unless you deliver on your projects.” Giving myself breaks throughout the day to browse or day dream is important, but keeping those 90 minutes sacred is crucial.

3. Attend one networking/ecommerce/tech event per week.

Some would say this is a waste of time, but in the early stages of founding a startup, meaningful networking is too important to pass up. I’m usually pretty good about being social and maintaining these relationships, but some weeks, I want to curl up in a ball and go lie in a hammock somewhere. Even if I only make one substantial and authentic connect, that’s one person or one relationship that can serve me, my business, or that person and his/her business exponentially. 

LIFE

1. Blog once a week, every Thursday

I went through my calendar and realized I most often, for some reason, make Wednesday nights my “off” night. Perhaps because the week’s chaos forces me to chill out, or maybe because Wednesdays are like the prelude to weekends. In any case, these nights and/or early mornings are perfect for reflecting on my week so far, news that’s been circulating, etc, and write one meaningful blog post. A friend and young business woman I extremely respect advised me to blog more. And so I shall, because doing this also helps me process and digest what the hell I’m doing on a daily basis. I didn’t get a MA in Journalism for nothin’.

2. Acknowledge one achievement per week

My father and I both share the bad habit of meeting goals, and already looking towards the next set of goals without taking time to acknowledge small successes. Especially as a startup founder, when one success means a door opened to a dozen additional goals to meet, recognizing small successes and taking time to celebrate, even if it is a fist pump (yes, the Jersey Shore kind) or expensive cup of coffee, is so important. Also, writing these down allows you to revisit these successes and create a sort of timeline, to be referenced when you feel like you’ve accomplished nothing after months of work.

3. Use exercise as “me” time

No excuses. All this research on the cognitive benefits of ecxercise? Say no more. 3 times a week minimum, 5 max. I always feel refreshed, re-charged and on top of my ame after a run, spin class or yoga session. Sharpen my mind. Sharpen my skills. Sharpen my calf muscles. POW.

4. Read more fiction

I read a lot of business books and how-to books and inspirational books, but I need the excitement of characters, plots, deceit and scandal. Since I’m not much into gossip or reality television, I need to read more fiction. Growing up, I read a book a week. I was an English major, after all! I have a tendency to dive in head first to any task or mode of thinking, and this extremism doesn’t serve me well sometimes. Book on the bedstand. ‘Nough said.