Give yourself permission to slow down.

Give yourself permission to slow down.

My biggest gripe with startup life is the need (or perceived need) to be always on, always working, and always ready to respond. 

Leaders emphasize the need to be ‘agile’ and move with ‘speed’, but I favor ways to find deep work that takes longer and feels slow at times. 

An hour of deep work is worth more than four hours of busy work.

In my own quest to slow down, I purchased an Imperial Good Companion typewriter–a British machine built in 1964, with the ‘£’ key instead of the ‘$’.  

There is something magical about being intentional with each keystroke you make. And you have to be with a typewriter. I quickly realized that my left pinky is much weaker than my other fingers and requires more oomph when striking the ‘a’ key. 

With each founder I work with (I write newsletter and LinkedIn posts for them), I often find that the biggest value-add I bring is not what gets published. Rather, it’s my ability to help the founder slow down and identify their best ideas. I then find the best way to share those ideas with others.

Slowing down gives you space to explore and learn. It gives you permission to go places you would have overlooked if you were too busy. It helps you see the world for what it is and what you can offer.

I love talking about this stuff. If you’re a founder interested in slowing down and homing in on your key insights, let me know.

At the very least, give yourself permission to slow down today.