As a Founder, it is just as important for you to say 'I am going to accomplish as much as I can' and not go beyond that. Balancing life with work for Founders is a continual issue, but is VERY important in order to prevent the kind of burn out you are talking about.
So what if there is new tech out there? Adapt to it at YOUR pace. If you have a product that is solid, and customers on that product, chances are you can make it down the road a bit just by progressing that, and by gradually working in the new stuff. Focus on VALUE...not on buzzwords. Will that new tech help you provide value to your customers? If so, devise a plan that gets you there. If not? Forget it.
Hire the right people to help you get done what you need to get done. As a founder, your job is to provide the master plan, the vision, and the tools a team needs to succeed. NOT to take on the entire world and make it all your own problem. Delegate.
> NOT to take on the entire world and make it all your own problem.
Which is exactly what I'm trying. Thank you! It's just that it often seems to me you can't have a proper work-life balance unless you shut your eyes to all the opportunities you can take and demands you have to fulfil.
One way to start is to have employees you can trust. And delegate tasks to them. If they are worth your time as employees, they will take initiative to do the things you can't or don't think of. If you find people who are willing to believe in your dream, you can let them do some of the heavy lifting.
You can't be a one-man shop that can stay abreast of every new and emerging trend in the industry. There just isn't the time in the day. There are like two dozen people on earth who can actually be up on all of the latest stuff all on their own. And not being one is not a bad thing.
Sometimes you do have to shut your eyes to the demands and the opportunities. Or at least be more selective in which to follow and fulfill. I assume you have people that depend on you, employees, a family. What good are you doing them if you spend all of your time pivoting, chasing the latest WHATEVER...and it causes you to miss the RIGHT opportunity...or you don't fulfill the RIGHT demands and your customers abandon your brand?
Use a filter. Figure out what is hot and burning today, and focus on that. Demands first, opportunities seconds, because honestly, you don't time or capital to waste on an 'opportunity' while any important demand waits in 'your' inbox. So start with the demands. Address the ones that come from the segment with the highest ROI. Focus only on things you hear from a 'reasonable' chunk of that segment. No one offs. No feature that one person demands, only things that can score you points with (almost) every customer in that bracket. Plan out that work. That will tell you how long you have before you can afford to move on an opportunity.
If you have good cash flow, consider hiring a person or two to chase some opportunities while your team remains focused. Or use the money wisely, help your team by giving them more resources, and shorten the cycle time before you can afford to engage in speculation.
Speculating about every change, technology, and up and coming sounds like its taking your attention away from where it needs to be. In my humble opinion, that is on the people paying your paycheck, your customers.
As a Founder, it is just as important for you to say 'I am going to accomplish as much as I can' and not go beyond that. Balancing life with work for Founders is a continual issue, but is VERY important in order to prevent the kind of burn out you are talking about.
So what if there is new tech out there? Adapt to it at YOUR pace. If you have a product that is solid, and customers on that product, chances are you can make it down the road a bit just by progressing that, and by gradually working in the new stuff. Focus on VALUE...not on buzzwords. Will that new tech help you provide value to your customers? If so, devise a plan that gets you there. If not? Forget it.
Hire the right people to help you get done what you need to get done. As a founder, your job is to provide the master plan, the vision, and the tools a team needs to succeed. NOT to take on the entire world and make it all your own problem. Delegate.