Startup Experts Reveal Their Top Productivity Advice

There's only so many hours in a day and running a startup will require most of them. So how do you use that time wisely and be more productive?

In this episode of Office Hours, the Group Partners at Y Combinator share their favorite strategies to be more effective and reduce distractions at work. They'll discuss the benefits of maker/manager schedules in addition to the fake work and productivity fads that can do more harm than good. If you're going to build a big business, you'll learn it requires working smarter AND harder to win.

00:00 - Coming Up
00:48 - Tip 1: Focus on your customers
01:19 - Tip 2: Avoid shiny objects and focus on the core mission
02:26 - Tip 3: Write down and track your KPIs
04:48 - Tip 4: Avoid productivity fads
06:07 - Tip 5: Real work vs. fake work
08:23 - Tip 6: Divide your day up into two parts: Meetings and creative work
09:03 - Tip 7: Be intentional about time spend on social media
09:56 - Tip 8: Use social media to build relationships with customers
11:06 - Tip 9: Stack rank your priorities
12:59 - Tip 10: Identify what is NOT a priority
14:39 - Tip 11: Avoid multitasking
15:13 - Tip 12: Productivity tools doesn't substitute work
15:47 - Outro

[ycombinator]

What's one trick you use to stay productive?

[shoaibux]

My top picks:
1. Focus on one things
2. My first work can be messy; I don't need to spend too much time organizing when I'm just starting. It's like cleaning your room because you don't want to do your homework.
3. I will not do fake work. Doing too much work doesn't necessarily mean I'm making progress. I need to pick my top priority and then move toward it.
4. Social media is a real danger; sometimes, I get drawn into it for nothing. Instead, I should pick another priority and work on that.

[Flexibot-AI_Shopify_Chatbots]

I appreciate the emphasis on avoiding "fake work" and being intentional with time management. It's a good reminder that being busy doesn't always equate to being productive.

[chapterme]

Chapters (Powered by ChapterMe) -
00:00 - Coming Up
00:48 - Focus on your customers
01:19 - Avoid shiny objects and focus on the core mission
02:26 - Being explicit: Write down and track your KPIs
03:07 - About productivity tools
04:12 - Productivity = Priority
04:48 - Productivity Porn
06:07 - Real vs. Fake Work
06:54 - Productivity Concept: Maker Schedule vs Manager Schedule
07:46 - Most common mistake founder's make
08:23 - Divide your day up into two parts one for meetings and one for coding time
09:03 - Danger with Social Media
09:56 - Use social media if your customers are on it
11:06 - Stack ranking forces you to prioritize
12:09 - Start with why?
12:59 - What is not a priority
14:09 - Finding what you are good at
14:39 - Best productivity tip: Not multitask
15:13 - Most productive founders don't talk about productivity apps
15:47 - Outro

[zb]

#4 is Gold. It's so simple but you must be mindful what you listen to and read especially in this day in age where everyone is accesible and everyone has an opinion. Know what you must do and DO IT. ACT on your ideas and get things done.

DO, maybe you might fail. If so, iterate and improve your mistakes AND DO AGAIN...AGAIN....AGAIN...AND AGAIN.

Keep 'launching', keep moving forward, and keep SERVING AND ADDING VALUE TO THE HUMANS WHO LOVE YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE :)

[yongkangchia]

Deep ideas
- fake work
- maker schedule vs managerial schedule (Paul graham)
> do not mix the 2
> carve out time for maker schedule.
- avoid multitasking
> focus on one thing, saying no

[formfakd]

I apologize I am not going to comment on the content here which is of course super smart and useful. Disclaimer, there is nothing personal here, just an observation. I am writing this because I need to say about this thing that is lingering in my mind since the first time I have heard Garry Tan speaking, in some much older videos than this. I think he has an incredible gift for acting and narrating. I enjoy listening to his voice and looking in how his voice is beautifully getting along his gestures, facial expressions etc. I am just wondering is it only me, or this is real. All the people speak very smart things, clearly and nicely, but this is something else at the top of the content 😊.

[nelinotakam]

Great video. I've been struggling with how to code and manage. Plus, moving from productivity app to productivity app deep down means I was the problem, not the app.. I think I know what I need to work on.. For those reading this and think it's obvious, sometimes it's not that obvious until you're hinted at it. I think great founders will also need to build that self-hinting mindset. I'm not yet there, but it's definitely possible. Thanks !

[jenna___]

Thank you for including a caption "stack rank", since the subtitles did not manage to catch it.

[Geovea-Travel]

Great video and reminder! I just try to focus on 3 important things to work on before I get going every morning so I don't get distracted! Kirk H.

[KiteTurbine]

I love the guilt trip this video is giving me
Started watching it in the kitchen and finished watching it in the garage

[fabioramos]

Guys the work that you are doing is really fantastic!! Thank you so much ❤

[jaiyeshrao]

Thank you for talking about productivity. Much needed!

[nstyle]

My best productivity tip is to scour social media for productivity tips

[sir.richardpound]

What a great image Y Combinator is building around itself 😃

[yongkangchia]

80-20 of productivity is asking these questions:

What's my goal
What's the number 1 thing
Are the things I am doing aligned with that?

[procrastinateXrok]

What good timing. I’m competing in my school’s competition with a productivity app. Thanks for insights

[bhushankshire]

User research interviews are maker or manager schedule??

[MariusGerome]

@YC do you have a docs page on all of that? I feel like the topics are coming up again and again, and an evergreen founder's document would be great for that

[apj]

Second half size hours for coding with unitrupted.
The best founder don't use social media and they never take validation from social media they take validation from customer/classmates