

Ask HN: How do you deal with that feeling that you aren't doing enough? - compass-seeker

Often times when I&#x27;m not doing contracted work or working on my own startup, I feel like I&#x27;m not doing enough to be productive. How do you deal with that feeling?<p>Personally, I found that reading books or learning a new development stack makes me feel like I&#x27;m using my time wisely.
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mswen
I can relate. I also live a dual work existence.

Contracted/consulting work pays the monthly bills. I am fortunate to currently
have one main client that pays well and in a very timely/reliable manner. If
careful on the spending side of the equation we can make it with me working
about 12 to 16 hours a week.

Secondly, I have built a technology-platform to enable me to deliver premium
structured services very efficiently. But now that I have done most of the
technology build I am into trying to build the business connections. I have
more trouble disciplining myself to do the sales and marketing tasks that this
phase requires. And, even when I succeed at disciplining myself there is
rarely the immediate feedback that you have been productive. With coding the
feedback that says "productive" is almost immediate. At the end of the day I
can point to a new feature that I created and tested and rest easy knowing
that I have been productive.

With enterprise sales there are so many lags between what I do and the
results. And, it is also a number game. Even if I am ultimately successful, I
may well have faced 40 or 50 or even 100 rejections before the big break.
While in the middle of a string of rejections, it feels more like
"foolishness" than "productivity."

I like reading and learning like you mention. But those too can be
distractions from what is really needed. Learning is fun and often productive
but I find it can keep me from the business building activities that I know I
need to engage in.

Back to Work!

~~~
compass-seeker
Great reply! Being a developer, I completely understand.

"I may well have faced 40 or 50 or even 100 rejections before the big break.
While in the middle of a string of rejections, it feels more like
"foolishness" than "productivity."

I think to an extent, most entrepreneurs have to go through this. Don't get
discouraged and keep at it :)

~~~
mswen
Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, I read once that Ross Perot went through
about 70 rejections when first starting EDS. But prior to that he had been one
of the top salespeople at IBM. What if he had given up after 69 rejections and
gone back to being an employee? Missed out on a billion or two.

