First, they are incredibly clear about what they re building and where they want to go. Ask them what they re working on this week, and they ll tell you exactly what needs to get done. No bullshit. Just real, concrete tasks.
1. They execute FAST.
The time between having an idea and building it is surprisingly short. They love shipping, testing new things, and adding features. Sometimes maybe a little too much
2. A lot of them are solving their own problems.
Many of the products they re building come from problems they ve personally experienced, sometimes while building previous startups.
3. They really understand the startup ecosystem.
Bootstrapping, VCs, seed rounds, Series A They re comfortable talking about fundraising and know how the game works.
4. Productivity is still a struggle.
Some are dealing with it right now. Others have struggled with it in the past. Being a great founder doesn t automatically mean you re productive.
5. Almost everyone faces the same challenge: SALES.
They can build. They can ship fast. But getting customers and growing revenue? That s a different story.
6. They know personal branding matters.
More and more founders realize that building a product isn t enough. You need distribution, an audience, and a presence on social media. But growing that audience and staying consistent is another challenge.
What s one thing you ve noticed about successful founders?
Do you know any YC founders? Tag them in the comments, I d love to hear their thoughts on this!

First thing I do is open my weekly planner to see what's waiting for me today.

Then I play a chess game:

If I win, I feel awake and ready for a productive day.

If I lose... I force myself to be productive anyway
What about you? How do you start your day?

I've always worked remotely, always in small teams. For years I struggled with the same things:

• staying productive

• staying consistent

• doing the right tasks instead of the ones I enjoy

• getting my habits back after travel or a messy month

I thought I was alone in this, so I kept hacking my way to solutions. Here's what has actually worked so far.