How The Best Founders Improve Their Focus

We all take too much sometimes.

Whenever I start creating a new habit, I find out I might have overkilled it. Sometimes, less is more — funny.

Whenever I notice I start to lose focus (ehh), I walk through this list of things how to improve it.

Today at a Glance:

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6 Ways founders can increase focus

Break it down to binary

In a startup, you can simplify everything into two core actions: building or selling.

Every task you do is either building your product or selling it.

Splitting your focus solely between these two is liberating. When everything else becomes noise, distractions get naturally killed.

When I’m building, I’m all in on product development, UX, and improving the platform’s tech stack.

When I’m selling, it’s about refining messaging, engaging with customers, and tweaking the pitch.

There's no room for extra distractions, and that singularity of purpose helps.

Restrict your channels

Switching costs are productivity's silent assassin.

I only give people one channel to reach me for real work: email.

Now, I haven’t hit the stage where my inbox gets flooded from this newsletter, but the plan is simple: stick to one communication channel. If people need something, they can expect a response via email.

No Slack. No WhatsApp. No ten tabs open, juggling DMs from different platforms.

Just one.

Create a documentation system

When I got over-motivated I created Notion pages for everything.

Same goes for over-organising my physical clothes wardrobes. The second I lose motivation, I just jam the clothes in and close it. Out of sight, out of mind.

When you hear a system this is what you picture. That doesn’t have to be it.

Find something that works for you.

I scaled back. What ended up working for me as a documentation system are Apple Notes.

Is it messy? Absolutely. Does it work? Surprisingly, yes.

I also use voice memos, thanks to iOS 18’s handy lock-screen button. I save audio notes, export them, and toss them into a backlog in my Notes app.

It's chaotic but functional—for now. I know I’ll need a more scalable solution soon. (If you have recommendations, hit me up)

Eliminate cheap dopamine hits

Phones are dopamine dispensers. We all know it — mindless swiping, checking notifications, hopping between apps.