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- Collection: How Do You Get The Best Out Of Yourself?
Collection: How Do You Get The Best Out Of Yourself?
A collection of thoughts from a collection of leaders. š±
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HOUSEKEEPING šØ
Today is a lazy Sunday for me. Itās just me and my dog, Ziggy, right now. My partner is off galavanting around Europe for a month. So today, will consist of nothing more than reading, the Olympics, and sniffing a few butts for the two of us.
I actually created a LinkedIn for Ziggy a while ago. And every so often, I will head on to LinkedIn and drop a handful of comments in what I guess you would call ādoggy speakā on some accounts.
I try not to take myself so seriously online, in life and especially on LinkedIn. This one is one of simple little guilty pleasures in life. Anyway, enjoy todayās edition.

COLLECTION šØāš©āš§āš¦
How do you get the best out of yourself?
Being a leader is hard. Foundering is harder again. Late nights, ramen diets, much stress. Itās kinda a crazy thing to put yourself through. Thatās why looking after number one should be, well, number one.
Today we ask 12 founders and leaders in tech what it is that they do that helps them make sure they are doing their level to stay happy, healthy and on top of their game.
Michael Batko CEO at Startmate
A heap of reflection really. I reflect weekly about work, using a system called the EdroloOS system. I also reflect on my personal life using another system that I learned from Nick Crocker. I reflect monthly on how Iām tracking towards reaching my goals professionally and personally as part of an email I sent to my closest thirty family members and friends. And lastly, I reflect annually on how Iām tracking towards my 10-year goals as part of a Startmate and my personal annual review.

Source; Michael Batko, Medium.
This will sound excessive to most people, but it is much easier than it sounds. It all starts with the habit of weekly work and personal reflections. Everything after that is roll-up of reflections that become more and more refined and tested against my long term goals, whether Iām working towards what makes me happy and the impact I want to achieve in my life.
Immad Akhund - Co-founder and CEO at Mercury
Number one, I get good sleep. I've never been into compromising on sleep. Number two, I try to do things that are fun. I mean as a CEO you often just have to do things that are necessary but not fun. Which is fine. I don't think you can ignore that but I try to make some space to do things that actually like give me energy. For me, I love talking to customers.
Founders should take weekends+vacations off:
1. Time to think high level outside the daily grind
2. The last 10% of time is the least productive
3. Avoid burn outI used to feel guilty about it, but now I see it as essential.
Startups are a 10+ yr marathon not a 3 month sprint
ā immad (@immad)
3:36 PM ā¢ Apr 17, 2021
I try to make space for doing those things even if there's other things that I need to get done that are not like as exciting or interesting to me. So I think those two are probably like my biggest tips for staying on top of things energy-wise.
Tyler Denk - Fo-Founder & CEO at Beehiiv
I am one of the most habit and routine based people I know. Not necessarily because I enjoy the rigidness of the routine, but almost out of necessity to ensure I am mentally and physically in the best state to perform. I donāt compromise on my morning routine. I wake up earlyāusually before 6am, I stretch, meditate, hit the gym, shower, then read emails.

Source; Big Desk Energy.
And I donāt compromise on my night routine where I study Spanish, read for 30-45 minutes before bed, and be asleep by 10:30pm latest. I value quality sleep a ton. I also eat extremely healthy and almost the same thing every weekday. I like to ensure I eat healthy, and also to minimize choice and wasting time.
Would I like a bit more flexibility in my life? Absolutely. But right now my top priority by a mile is building beehiiv into an industry-defining success story and Iām doing whatever I can to increase the odds of that.
Niki Scevak - Co-Founder & Partner at Blackbird
Always be thinking what is the one thing that matters? And always be constantly adjusting your calendar to match that, so your actions can be the same as your words.
Ananda Aisola - COO and Co-Founder of Composer
I never attended an elite university or had the connections that come with living in the valley. For a large chunk of my career I pushed myself to succeed for one simple reason: fear. I am extremely competitive and wanted to prove that I could compete and win against the best.
Over the past year my attitude has changed along with the birth of my daughter. While my competitive spirit is still alive it is no longer my sole driving force. My personal and professional goals are now alignedāI want to live my life in such a way that as my daughter grows up, she is proud of me and sees me as a role model.
This means teaching her the value of hard work, giving back but also the pursuit of problems for their own sake and not for status. | ![]() Prioritise ruthlessly. |
Wearing as many hats as I do, Iāve learnt over time to ruthlessly prioritize and to empower my team to take on more responsibility. The two non-negotiables for me that make this possible are daily exercise and putting my daughter to bed.


Elicia McDonald - Partner at Airtree
I maintain a positive perspective. So much of life is about how you frame things. There's a quote I like: "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses." I'm a glass-half-full person, and I suspect most venture investors and founders are eternal optimists. There is so much that can go wrong in early-stage startups that to dedicate your career to founding one or to build the conviction to invest; you have to be able to see past all the things that could go wrong and instead focus on what could happen if it goes right.
I get the best out of myself when I'm feeling positive, engaged, and valued, and I can put my skills to work to have a genuine impact on others. I also need balance and I'm lucky that one of our core values at Airtree is āThere's more to life.ā If I work 24/7, I won't get the best out of myself professionally or personally. I don't want to be defined solely by my career; it's important to me to have a full life outside of work.
Lexy Franklin - CEO at Sidebar
There are five crucial pillars that I need to fly. I need to sleep, I need to eat, I need exercise, I need to take my vitamins, and I meditate. If I do those five, I feel like I am flying. If not, I am not as energized.

Lexy.
Professionally, I am an extremely driven person. I always have been. I actually really like the intense version of myself. I want to drive an impact in the world. I actually think the way that I get the best out of myself professionally is I am kind to myself in my head. It is counter-intuitive, and over time I have really learned to be nice to myself in my internal conversations. It does not mean, I am not ambitious, I really am, and I like to be encouraging when I am sitting in my own thoughts.
Karim Zuhri - Ex-GM & COO of Cascade
Firstly, I recognise that the journey is far from perfect. Life is interspersed with phases of stress and challenges that spill over into oneās work. Iāve learnt that the interconnection between personal well-being and work is inextricable.
The concept of work-life balance for me isnāt the conventional 9 to 5 framework. Itās about crafting a harmonious model that aligns personal passions and aspirations with professional responsibilities. Doing this ensures burnout remains a distant concern. | ![]() Karim looper positively dapper. |
During these times, Iāve allowed myself the grace to step back and address these issues. This means I can return with renewed vigour and creativity, unburdened by concerns.
Flexibility in work schedules has been pivotal for me. My preference for early mornings and evenings allows me periods of leisure and personal pursuits. I love working out, piano classes, and achieving my daily step goal of 20,000. I find that walking, especially during brainstorming sessions, enhances my creativity.
Iāve forged invaluable friendships at work, blurring the often hard lines drawn between professional and personal life. I am not a proponent of the traditional āwork-life balanceā narrative. A predefined pathway. My passion for my work transcends the boundaries of a ājobā. It is a pursuit I love, a sentiment I try to foster in others as well.
Drawing inspiration from āAtomic Habits,ā, Iāve adopted a gradual approach to integrating new habits. This ensures they blend into my routine rather than being overwhelming additions. Community building, particularly with those sharing my values, serves as a reservoir of energy and inspiration for me. I identify as an extroverted introvert, valuing my alone time, but the balance between solitude and community is where I find my equilibrium.
This journey, filled with imperfections, learnings, and adaptations, has been my formula for drawing the best out of myself.
John Howard - Founder at Slingshot
I get the best out of myself by setting challenging goals, both short-term and long-term. I also make sure to take care of myself physically and mentally. I eat healthy, exercise regularly, and getting good sleep. I find that when I'm taking care of myself, I'm more productive and creative.
I also believe in lifelong learning. I'm always reading books, articles, and blogs about business, design, and entrepreneurship. I also attend conferences and workshops to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. I find that the more I learn, the better I am at my job.
Finally, I'm surrounded by a great support system of friends, family, and mentors. They help me stay motivated and focused on my goals.
Jennifer Phan, Co-Founder and CEO at Passionfroot
One mental model that I came across and helped me to build resilience as an entrepreneur who is starting out is the Rule of One Third. It kind of goes back to when you're embarking on a journey and when you're building something up when you're doing something incredibly hard, you're supposed to feel one-third of your time great, one-third of your time okay, and one-third like crap.

Really just an example of life applied to business.
And that shows that you're out of your comfort zone. You are growing, you're learning. And sometimes some days are shitty and then you just show up on those. And then it's just one of those shitty days - and that's okay.
Emmanuel Nataf - Co-Founder & CEO at Reedsy
Iām addicted to the effort, not the reward. I will keep going until I get where I want to be, no matter what. I realize that it might feel a bit weird or intense to most, but for me, itās the only way. This is true for Reedsy though after 9 yearsāitās a different type of effortāmy long-distance cycling adventures, and my photography.

Emmanuelās photo, Angels Landing, Zion NP, Utah, USA.
I think this mindset comes from my upbringing, having spent most of my childhood with Jewish grandparents, and in particular with my grandfather who was in the Resistance during WWII. My co-founder Ricardo likes to make jokes about how I inherited the Ashkenazi mindset from my mumās side and rejected the fun Sephardic attitude from my dadās.
Putting aside the environment I grew up in, living a healthy lifestyle helpsāI donāt drink alcohol, never go to bed overly late, youāll never see me in a nightclub, I cook my own meals, exercise, etc.
And lastly, I try to find inspiration in different ways, regularly seeing exhibitions, going to concerts, and traveling.
I am not the best at looking after myself. I eat really well, I train loads, I track my sleep, but I also grind myself into the ground with work and sometimes my quality of life suffers. I can be head down for so long that when I look up, weeks have passed without much social interaction aside from with my partner and my dog.
Having said that, I am a massive fan of Whoop. I use it to track my exercise, recovery, but most importantly, my sleep. I try my hardest to get 7 hoursāat the moment itās around 10 minutes short on average. | ![]() Sleep trend. |
Something I learnt recently from Sidebarāmy accountability group I am ināis the habit of booking all of your leave at the start of the year. I havenāt got trips planned by the last week or two of every quarter I have booked my leave. And now, itās all about just filling those dates with events. If I can keep my mind from getting too bogged down with work I think I can stay in a pretty positive place.
In sum
As a leader of an organisation, the way you act permeates through your organisation. If you are tired and burned out, your team will see it, and negative vibes plus a burnout culture will start to spread. Looking after yourself and watch wonderful thing happen.
And thatās it! You can also find all of our original interviews with all the founders and leaders above here.

BRAIN FOOD š§
I just caught a great episode of The Startup Podcast where they tackled the Agile vs. Waterfall debate. The hosts, along with John Cutler, dive into what makes each method tick and how to get Agile rightābeyond just the trendy jargon. They talk about aligning rapid iterations with solid strategy, which is a game-changer if youāre trying to make your startup's workflow smoother.
If you're all about slicing through the buzz and diving deep into what really works in project management, this episode is a must-listen.

TWEET OF THE WEEK š£
Culture isnāt what is written down in your deck, it isnāt the lines you spout to your staff at company-wide meetings.
Culture is born entirely from action. Itās what you do, not what you say, and it starts with the founders.
How a founder acts sets the cultural tone for aā¦ x.com/i/web/status/1ā¦
ā Marc Randolph (@mbrandolph)
8:37 PM ā¢ Jul 29, 2024
One last job. #YusufDikec
ā Ernest Ng Bro (@ernestngBRO)
1:59 PM ā¢ Aug 1, 2024
Apparently, this epic photo that has been circling the internet since yesterday was actually a blind shot taken by Jerome Brouillet, who says he couldnāt tell when Medina was gonna come out of the water.
Jerome is 38 and has been photographing surf for more than 10 years. Heā¦ x.com/i/web/status/1ā¦
ā Bill Kerr (@bill_kerrrrr)
7:13 PM ā¢ Jul 31, 2024

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