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Comment by dfuhriman | Hacker News Reader

The problem you are experiencing is a result of the lack of systems and processes in your business.

You need to make an important hire- you are missing a systematic. See, creatives like you are awesome at solving problems but hate to have structure and order because it doesn't allow you 100% freedom. But, as a result, you just have 100% creativity/problem solving- which is draining. The worst thing is, you can't even create the order you need to manage these things.

Systematics create structure and order in dynamic environments.

I wrote a book about this and other problems with innovation and how to solve them. It will be published later this year, but happy to provide an advanced copy to help work through seeing the problems you are facing.

The systematics in your business are meant to free you from the ongoing crap that you are experiencing.

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I have experienced this first hand. Felt really insecure about my lack of passion for creating internal systems and processes, and instead hired a great person who is amazing at it and it's freed my co-founder and I up to do what we really love and excel at. I now know I don't need to be great at that other stuff, I have unique value to add on my own.

I'm late to the party but OP if you are still checking dfuhriman's post is the right answer. You're making a classic mistake. If your company has revenue to support employees you need to start working yourself out of the tasks that you can offload.

You start by documenting everything you do. Don't start by trying to get your documentation perfect- think of an MVP for it and improve over time. If it's boring, use a voice-to-text app (I hear Naturally Speaking is excellent now) and dictate it.

Get someone in there to do the job. Pay them well. Work on strategy and make your exit. Good luck!

This, exactly. I recently hired an assistant and the way that my mind was freed up was insane.

I really don't understand why it's not more common practice to have an assistant.

I would be interested in reading this as well...I've faced (and face) many of the same issues myself.

Read the E-myth Revisited.

This is also good advice and a good book.

What I add to this aspect of innovation is a differentiation between standardizable work and original work. OP's approach to creating systems are different for each.

The other thing I define is the roles in innovation; creatives, systematics, and bureaucrats. The problem I see with OP is that creatives usually cannot implement the systemization that is required for the "franchise prototypes", let alone manage the system.

Do you have somewhere we can sign up to be notified when the book comes out?

Reminds me of the e myth

Replied in another comment, but posting here to reply to your comment too.

This is also good advice and a good book.

What I add to this aspect of innovation is a differentiation between standardizable work and original work. OP's approach to creating systems are different for each.

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