Ask YC: Would you take a short break before the final push? | Hacker News Reader

Ask YC: Would you take a short break before the final push?

4 pointsmoog5 comments

Say you had one final push required to complete the beta phase of your startup, maybe 7 days of work total. If you'd been working on the startup for months and felt exhausted, would you a) take a short break now, aiming to complete the project in ~14 days or b) keep marching through clenched teeth and have it done in a week?

Option b) could be considered DIFN, I guess, which appeals to me. But a short break is also an attractive prospect right now. I've read elsewhere on Hacker News that the hard work doesn't really start until you launch, so is this all the more reason to go with a)?

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I'm in favor of a short break prior to the final push. But, to me, a short break is a pre-sprint evening of dinner and drinks to boost morale and get the team feeling good together.

I personally wouldn't break for two weeks when you can see light at the end of the tunnel.

I would push on, get it done in a week and then take a break.

Then you're done, and a break will be good for you to get your thoughts clear for launch.

Each one of us works differently, but I would say this probably depends more on your momentum at the present time. If you find that your productivity remains high, then you probably should push through the final week. However, if you've seen a precipitous drop in your ability to get work done, then you should take a break. Why not start with taking 2-3 days off? If you still don't feel like that was enough, then extend it up to 7 or more days as required. Good luck!

I felt the same way as you right before we launched our site. I tried to take a week off, but it ended up being a week of me coding for 4 hours a day instead of 8 hours a day. (I still have a full-time co-op required for graduation, so this doesn't count my 40 hours a week for that)

Nonetheless, it was very relaxing and I'm glad I did it. At the same time, when you're this close and really into your company, it's hard to NOT work on it.

do you what you think your body needs. If you launch and your burnt then what is the point?

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