Three Tips to Survive Crunch Week

Week 70 of Founding Typogram

Hey Friends! This past week has been crazy busy as we are launching to pre-order customers next Monday! I’m excited to reveal what we have been working on, but at the same time, it feels nerve-wracking. I have always been a perfectionist in my work, and though I try to remind myself that tool building is iterative, it is still scary to hear the voices inside my head — the what-ifs. What if no one likes it? What if we have a deadly bug that will destroy everything?

In stressful times like these, I know it is essential to find peace and calm in my mind, or else procrastination will happen. Here are some of the things I try to relieve stress:

Making a to-Do List

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with how much I have to do, and writing a to-do list helps, especially breakdown each large step into granular, smaller ones.

Another nice bonus of having multiple small steps is greater motivation and gratification because I get to cross off things more quickly.

Moments of Peace

When I am stressed or tired, I watch birds through the window of my office. I even have a custom office setup for birding. It releases me from constantly looking at the screen and forces me to recollect my mind and enjoy nature.

wentin @DesignJokes

Redid my bird watching set up next to my desk. Apparently the fieldscope I bought was better for viewing things far away. Since the birds were right outside my window, it was better to use my binocular. I combined this with a smartphone holder to take photos

Rest Well

Stress affects the way I sleep, which in turn affects my productivity. Sometimes, I lay awake for hours, and I have a more challenging time getting in the flow the next day. A few tips in this video helped, like aiming for the appropriate time to wake up instead of trying to get up early, and I finally accepted and embraced the fact I’m a night owl.

Hearing from you

Though these things I suggested don’t completely solve the issues, it relieves some anxiety, at least for me. Do you have anything you try to relieve stress? Let me know!

And I cannot wait to share more about our launch with you!

❧

See you next week! If you have friends who are interested in founding startups, please consider sharing my newsletter with them!