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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
If you want to start or join an early-stage startup, the most important investment you could make today is inner work to ensure you have the stamina & resilience to do extremely hard things. Here is all self work I did between my 1st and 2nd startup that paid off big time:
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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
1. Understand what matters to you Startups are hard; if you start one you should aim to work on it for at least 5 years. To do something difficult for a long time you should care enough about it you'd do it for free. I wrote more about it here:
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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
I dreaded the idea of starting a company. As an early employee, I saw how painful startups were, in both success & failure. Replit was forcing itself unto the world; it was no longer sustainable as a side project. Before incorporating, here are all the ways we tried *not* to:
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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
2. Stop being a perfectionist Putting yourself and your work in public requires a great deal of courage. Perfectionism is often a protection mechanism against being hurt. You have to be okay with your work being criticized and even hated. Blogpost:
amasad.me
What is Perfectionism and How to Cure It
> My problem is that I'm a perfectionist > -- Everbody As I finished writing the title for this post I thought about quitting. I didn't think it was good and told myself that this is off to a bad...
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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
3. Get a grip on your mood Startup highs can be ecstatic and lows can be crushing. As an entrepreneur, you have to try to be solid as a rock on both the ascent and descent. I wrote about how you can use framing to control your mood:
amasad.me
Mental Frames to Get Over Entrepreneurial Anxiety and Depression
Would you accept a gamble that offers a 10% chance to win $95 and a 90% chance to lose $5? Would you pay $5 to participate in a lottery that offers a 10% chance to win $100 and a 90% chance to win...
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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
4. Be grateful In the midst of the emotional turbulence of a startup, remind yourself that all is well. If you have shelter, food, & safety you're doing better than most humans who ever lived. Enjoy the ride and try to make the world slightly better: amasad.me/grateful
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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
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@amasad
6. Nail your sleep This is one of the most important tools for a founder. If you can master sleep you will be unstoppable. Hot off the press with the thread on this:
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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
I've dealt with poor sleep for many years. As someone who's excited & energetic, I had a hard time going to sleep. And as a startup founder, I've had a hard time staying asleep. Today I sleep ~8 hours, and almost every aspect of life is better. Here is an ordered list of tips:
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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
7. Find the diet that works for you A good diet can make you up to 2x more productive. If you're eating right there should be no after-lunch slump, and you should be able to focus for extended periods of time without food. This YouTube channel is great:
youtube.com
The MOST Important Intermittent Fasting Basics for Beginners: MUST...
Fasting is the most important thing you can do for your health! Learn the basics of intermittent fasting. Dr. Berg's Electrolyte Powder with Trace Minerals: ...
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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
8. Find your wellness routine When you're stressed out, mind is racing, and can't focus, what do you do to recenter yourself? For me, that's heavy lifting followed by a sauna & cold plunge. It resets me like nothing else. Don't have a thread/blog on this but maybe I should?
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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
9. Challenge yourself I had a fear of public speaking so I signed up for improv, did tech talks without preparing, and did a storytelling show. The best way to get rid of fear is by exposure. The fear will go away and by doing hard things you're becoming more resilient.
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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
10. Find mentors & a peer group Surround yourself with awesome people who can energize, challenge, and teach you. Twitter is great for this. I've made many founder friends on here -- just be yourself and share your learnings. Books can also be a great stand-in for mentors.
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Amjad Masad ⠕
@amasad
That's it for now. I'll do threads in the future more focused on aspects that I haven't explored in-depth in the past. Please feel free to share your ideas!
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