Staying Focussed on the Real Thing

I've taken a gap year. That means there are no metrics to chase, teams to lead, or promotions to run for. I took this time out to focus on side projects and attempt to build a startup with full commitment.

But not having a job means I have to structure my own day and prioritize how I spend my time.

One of the hardest things during this period has been staying patient for the outcome. With no short-term metrics to monitor or achievements to celebrate, it becomes challenging to stay focused on the long-term prize. The mind starts gravitating toward projects and activities that offer short-term rewards: LinkedIn posts, writing blogs, creating courses, making videos, or launching quick projects. At face value, these are not unproductive activities. Views might lead to website visits, which can result in sales. Personal branding can also play a role.

But it's easy to forget the real goal and instead chase clicks, views, and appreciation. It will be some time before the startup or real project can provide these.

I understand that all good things in life take time. But how can one stay committed for the long-term bets?

After much struggle, I have reached two conclusions:

• I can't avoid my instinct to look at metrics; I need data points.
• Given #1 is true, it's better to look at input metrics versus output metrics.

Let me break down both. We do need some data to ascertain that we’re making progress in the right direction, pushing ourselves, learning etc. Now using output metrics in early stage can be really noisy. Perhaps the only place where you’re seeing traction is social media vs users. That doesn’t mean you should become an influencer.

That’s why I’d rather focus on input metrics and that too qualitative. Some of the questions I am asking myself and tracking are:

• Am I building something that I or a few people I know will love?
• Am I writing something that I would like to read?
• Am I focusing on things that have long-term value?
• Did I write code that makes my product?

I spend 10-15 minutes in the morning answering these questions and accordingly decide what I should do today. I'm also actively avoiding looking at stats - visits, active users, likes etc

Not sure it’s the perfect framework. But at least it has given me some sense and help. I think I will try it for a month and see how it goes.

If you have been in a similar state, what worked for you?