I recognised a lot of what used to happen in my own work when I read it. For a long time I operated inside the kind of environments you describe - speed equals progress, meetings are always rushed, etc etc. It became normal. It almost killed me.
But after quite a lot of navel gazing I can now see how that environment shaped what I thought success looked like: staying busy, 24/7, keeping momentum, faster faster faster. The only real result was that the quality of my work (and my life) suffered.
So these days…
… these days, after I started paying attention to how that all showed up, in my body, in what was achieved, in what felt bad, I often pause and ask myself a few simple questions to see what environment, or field (I call it that to make it less my fault and more about the bigger picture) I’m standing in:
What patterns or habits keep repeating around me? Rushed meetings, premature decisions etc etc
How does it feel when I move at this pace? More shallow breathing near deadlines, tension in my shoulders, or flow?
What gets rewarded here, and what gets overlooked? Do long hours or clear thinking get the praise. Is rest treated as something bad or an important part of the process?
When things get difficult, what tends to be protected first, and what gets dropped? Do I cut short reflection time to meet a target, or stop communicating clearly?
How am I defining success? Is being busy winning? Am I valuing output over outcomes?
If I wanted to stay in a healthier rhythm, what habits, lessons and process would I keep, and what would I let go?
These questions help me notice whether I’m still moving in alignment or not. I can now clearly see how unhealthy the field I used to work in was.
I really appreciate that. I’ve been exploring how reflection and rhythm might be structured more deliberately for founders. If you ever want to swap notes, happy to share what’s been working for me.
Thanks so much for sharing these reflections Nigel. I think you get very much to the heart of what we were writing about and you are absolutely right. It is essential for us to take stock of what actually matters and make sure we are protecting that (and ourselves) above all else. 🙏
We have a practice at Notion that has been with us for 30 years and 3 scale ups & 8 funds - to "dwell together" - no agenda, we hang out, we talk about how we feel. This normally happens on the first day and evening of each of a strategy off-sites. It's always a highlight 💙 Thanks for sharing the article. Really good
Such a meaningful practice, Chris. This sounds like a key ritual in making your off-sites truly successful. When people care about each other, they naturally bring their best selves to work. What a great culture to be part of
Thanks Chris, this is so great to hear, and I am sure that this approach is a huge foundation for your incredible successes with Notion. Sounds like a fantastic place to work. 🙏
Spot on!
Thank you Bill! Long time since we last saw each other my friend. I hope all is well.
it has been a while. Still in the "area"?
Yes I am! How about you?
Thank you. 🙏
Radical! Treating reflection as an advantage is a wonderful way to build something that lasts, instead of just racing ahead.
100 on 🎯
Absolutely Hodman. 🙏
Thanks for writing this.
I recognised a lot of what used to happen in my own work when I read it. For a long time I operated inside the kind of environments you describe - speed equals progress, meetings are always rushed, etc etc. It became normal. It almost killed me.
But after quite a lot of navel gazing I can now see how that environment shaped what I thought success looked like: staying busy, 24/7, keeping momentum, faster faster faster. The only real result was that the quality of my work (and my life) suffered.
So these days…
… these days, after I started paying attention to how that all showed up, in my body, in what was achieved, in what felt bad, I often pause and ask myself a few simple questions to see what environment, or field (I call it that to make it less my fault and more about the bigger picture) I’m standing in:
What patterns or habits keep repeating around me? Rushed meetings, premature decisions etc etc
How does it feel when I move at this pace? More shallow breathing near deadlines, tension in my shoulders, or flow?
What gets rewarded here, and what gets overlooked? Do long hours or clear thinking get the praise. Is rest treated as something bad or an important part of the process?
When things get difficult, what tends to be protected first, and what gets dropped? Do I cut short reflection time to meet a target, or stop communicating clearly?
How am I defining success? Is being busy winning? Am I valuing output over outcomes?
If I wanted to stay in a healthier rhythm, what habits, lessons and process would I keep, and what would I let go?
These questions help me notice whether I’m still moving in alignment or not. I can now clearly see how unhealthy the field I used to work in was.
Which is what I think you guys were getting at.
Hi Nigel. Thank you for this list of insightful questions. Pure wisdom here. Taking notes.
Thanks, Juan
I really appreciate that. I’ve been exploring how reflection and rhythm might be structured more deliberately for founders. If you ever want to swap notes, happy to share what’s been working for me.
Thanks so much for sharing these reflections Nigel. I think you get very much to the heart of what we were writing about and you are absolutely right. It is essential for us to take stock of what actually matters and make sure we are protecting that (and ourselves) above all else. 🙏
Thanks, appreciate that.
It’s good to know there are other humans paying attention to what the current dominant field costs and knowing there’s a better way.
Yes, the best way to make progress today is to FOCUS... everybody is looking for the next best automation tool and shortcut...
But, the shortcut is to build a solid foundation and move methodically.
It's not a popular strategy by Tiktok and IG short form video experts... but fundamentally true.
Context switching like you said
Very well said Dennis. 🙏
We have a practice at Notion that has been with us for 30 years and 3 scale ups & 8 funds - to "dwell together" - no agenda, we hang out, we talk about how we feel. This normally happens on the first day and evening of each of a strategy off-sites. It's always a highlight 💙 Thanks for sharing the article. Really good
Such a meaningful practice, Chris. This sounds like a key ritual in making your off-sites truly successful. When people care about each other, they naturally bring their best selves to work. What a great culture to be part of
Thanks Chris, this is so great to hear, and I am sure that this approach is a huge foundation for your incredible successes with Notion. Sounds like a fantastic place to work. 🙏
There are so many quotable moments in this article. What a fantastic collaboration.
Thank you Karo. It was great to work with Sam. The two perspectives complemented each other really well.
Thanks so much @Karo (Product with Attitude)! It was such a joy to work with @Juan Salas-Romer on this. 🙏