Are You Mistaking Activity for Productivity?
Entrepreneur Office Hours - Issue #256
One thing I’ve always noticed about my Duke students is they’re always overwhelmingly busy. However, when I hear about the things they’re doing, I often find myself wondering “why are you worrying about that?”
To be clear, I don’t mean I’m wondering why they’re worrying about going to frat parties and basketball games. I actually believe those are important social experiences. Instead, I worry about how much time they spend on unimportant things like obsessively checking their email or perfecting every tiny detail of a group project that barely counts toward their grade. This endless cycle of busywork doesn’t actually move the needle on their education or personal growth. Instead of focusing on the activities that truly make an impact, they’re often bogged down by tasks that only create the illusion of productivity.
I realize, of course, we can probably blame teachers/professors and the way they give assignments as the source for a lot of student busywork. But don’t worry… it’s not the debate I’m looking to have. Instead, I want us to think about the way student busyness mirrors entrepreneurial busyness.
Student busyness reminds me of when I was a young entrepreneur trying to magic my way to unicorn-status. I’d spend enormous parts of my day in my inbox emailing potential investors, potential partners, potential customers, potential employees… basically anyone I thought could help my startup. And I convinced myself that every minute I spent in my inbox was productive. After all, building relationships is crucial for any founder, right? I was making connections, scheduling meetings, following up, and trying to stay on top of everything.
However, in hindsight, I realize I was doing something else… something unintentionally harmful.
Email became my excuse. It was where I hid when things got hard.
Every time I opened my inbox, I felt like I was doing something important. In reality, I was avoiding the uncomfortable, messy parts of entrepreneurship: the parts that don’t fit neatly into an email thread. Things like trying to get customers, or get real feedback from users, or properly manage my team.
I’m sure I’m not the only one. Entrepreneurs often seem to get caught in the trap of mistaking activity for progress. And email is a great example as well as one of the biggest culprits. Sure, it feels good to clear out your inbox, but all those emails you send result in lots more emails to answer. And how many of those emails ultimately put dollars in your bank account?
Keep that in mind with whatever little tasks are surely keeping you busy. Are they actually valuable, or are they convenient ways of tricking yourself into thinking you’re being productive?
Podcast: ThoughtWave Episode #2
The FTC bans fake reviews and fractional job opportunities are surging
Dr. Dinin and Chris made it back for a second episode… we're already more successful than 50% of all podcasts!
On this episode, we discuss the entrepreneurial implications of the FTC's new ban on fake reviews and fake social media followers. How is anyone going to growth hack anymore?
We also explore the continued emergence of "fractional" work and how a wave of new technologies and new working practices has opened the door for entrepreneurs — both the ones hiring and the ones looking for jobs — to leverage the value of part-time employment across multiple different firms.
Listen now on: Apple | Spotify | Online
This week’s new articles…
How Not to Respond to the Investors Who Reject You
Getting rejected never feels good, but the way you deal with it says a lot about the kind of entrepreneur you actually are.
The Best Entrepreneurs Are Lazier Than Anyone Realizes, and That’s a Great Thing
If you’re going to spend time working with entrepreneurs, be prepared to accommodate for their surprising apathy.
Office Hours Q&A
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QUESTION:
Aaron,
I’m trying to build a strong brand for my startup, but it feels like every company out there is trying to do the same thing. How can I make sure my brand stands out in a crowded market without just copying what everyone else is doing?"
Thanks for your insights,
Alex
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Woah now… let’s pump the brakes on this. I get why building a strong brand feels important — after all, the most successful companies have iconic brands. However, in the early stages of your startup, obsessing over your brand isn’t where you should be spending your time or energy.
By the way, when I say “brand,” I’m specifically referencing all the flashy stuff like logos, color schemes, and catchy taglines. Sure, those things matter eventually, but right now, your brand isn’t what’s going to make or break your business. Early on, what matters most is reaching customers and delivering meaningful value. If you nail that, the brand will start to take care of itself.
Think about it — some of the biggest companies today started with almost laughable branding. Look at Amazon’s original website or Facebook’s early interface. Not exactly polished or iconic, right? But people used them because they delivered value, not because they had a cool logo or a perfectly curated brand voice.
In other words, instead of stressing about how to make your brand stand out, focus on how to create meaningful value by solving a legitimate problem. Deliver exceptional results to your customers, and the brand will naturally evolve from there. As you grow and learn more about your customers, you’ll get a better sense of what your brand should represent and how it should make people feel.
And by the way, none of this is meant to suggest you ignore branding entirely — just don’t make it your top priority… yet. If you’re thinking about how to differentiate your startup, put that energy into your customer acquisition, your customer service, or your customer experience. Those are the things that will get people talking and coming back for more.
The truth is, a brand is only as strong as the company behind it. So, worry about building a business people love first. Once you’ve done that, then you can worry about making sure your brand looks as good as it makes your customers feel.
Got startup questions of your own? Reply to this email with whatever you want to know, and I’ll do my best to answer!
