What reddit taught me about startups: "because it's your damn job" | Hacker News Reader

What reddit taught me about startups: "because it's your damn job"

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53 pointsluccastera23 comments

I find that co-founders affect motivation in a particularly in a good way because while they do keep you moving when you feel glum, there's no pressure to accept them as the reason you get up every day, as is the case with working purely for money / an investor somewhere / a boss. It's like the pressure of not wanting to let your co-founder down affects you from the inside out, because you are constantly reminded of your shared fate. They're always there to keep you on your toes, but they don't become a force for extrinsic motivation (which can easily cause stress and deflation instead of adding energy to your inner drive).

I wonder how many startup founders regret being acquired early.

Not implying reddit was acquired early, just more of a general question. I'm talking more about the Flickr's of the startup world.

Heh-- I got acquired early (and left after my contractual obligation) and have a long list of bookmarked blog posts detailing frustrated founders who have been gobbled up. I certainly would ask some different questions and set some different expectations if I'm ever acquired again.

Another bit of data pointing at having a cofounder as being critical.

Great post. Same sentiments here.

The motivational poster he cites is hilarious: http://images.despair.com/products/demotivators/motivation.j...

I have two despair posters in my office:

http://despair.com/despair.html

http://despair.com/gettowork.html

I also had the despair calendar in '06, but not '07 because they took out the funny trivia. :-/

I've got that hanging in my office... very few people actually notice it...

I believe once you have been bought out, you should try to leave as early as possible. The people who bought you want you to code not think, they will do the thinking from now on. I couldn't stand that proposition, would rather train a few coders on the system and take my money and figure out what I am going to do next.

you probably don't bond with people in any other job or activity the same way as you do in a startup.

http://nymag.com/news/features/38951/

Topical, eh?

Something there got me thinking... how much do guys at a startup actually sleep? Four hours?

I sleep 8-10 hours per night, on average. I have bouts of insomnia, but my productivity drops significantly if I sleep less than 8 hours. I also start to have very odd - and dangerous - physical symptoms. Yes, I have a sleep disorder. For a period of time right before I was diagnosed, I actually slept 14-20 hours per day.

As with most constraints, it has turned out to be an advantage in some ways. I focus on working smarter instead of harder, and I really value the hours I have to work with in each day. I have some employees that can accomplish more in one hour than other employees can accomplish in a month. A few hours each day can just be a rounding error if you are really conscious of productivity and smart about how you use your time.

The idea that you can only sleep 3-4 hours per night if you want your startup to be successful is complete BS, and is part of the counterproductive macho aspect of startup culture. If you can get by on 4 hours of sleep, and aren't lying to yourself about your productivity and performance, then good for you...but such people are rare.

I wish I didn't have a sleep disorder, of course, but I would still sleep 7-8 hours per night even if I didn't. Brains function best when they are well-rested.

If you don't mind sharing: which sleep disorder do you have?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_24-hour_sleep-wake_syndrome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_apnea

My symptoms are exacerbated by a couple other health issues, and the doctors have had difficulty establishing causal relationships. I use a CPAP for the apnea.

I feel like I have jet lag if I miss a little sleep. If I miss a great deal of sleep, my symptoms worsen dramatically...I had a stroke when I was 30 after being sleep deprived for too long, for example.

I was able to do all-nighters without a problem until I was a senior in college. Then, I worked night shift for seven years to make it easier to cope. The sleep issue was yet another motivator for starting my own company.

You can sleep 4 hours each night if you take naps throughout the day.

Not only does this increase your total awake hours, it also improves concentration and acuteness.

If you are interested in studying sleep effectiveness, try to pick up a copy of Why We Nap by Claudio Stampi

We tried this and failed miserably. http://reddit.blogspot.com/2005/10/polyphasic-sleep-groggy-j...

My hat goes off to you for making it work. /impressed

Interesting, and cool you tried it (sounds like Uberman if it was Steve Pavlina).

If you feel inclined to try again feel free to email me, I might be able to offer some help.. You can compromise with an Everyman polyphasic schedule..

Uberman, anyone?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uberman%27s_sleep_schedule

I've been dying to try poliphasic dream for a long time (that's kinda why I asked). Too bad the rest of the world is monophasic :-(

I did biphasic when I was working full time. It mostly worked.

I slept 4 hours for about a month. It was a great thing to do--once. Now I know how little I can sleep and still function.

I think one thing I've learned though more than anything is that startups take a long time and its better to work from 8-10 7 days a week for 2 years than to work 6-12 everyday for a few months.

So I average about 6 hours a sleep a night now, and make sure to exercise everyday.

More, hopefully. I don't think you can actually be productive if you're a complete zombie for extended periods of time.

Mmm...around 6 hours in average.

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