Mental Modes
3 MENTAL MODES* A STARTUP FOUNDER JUGGLES
[*a temperament to act and think in a certain way]
“How can I optimise my mental energy and time?”
As a startup founder (my 4th one) I face this challenge everyday - to prioritise where, how and on what I spend my time and mental energy.
I have realised that I do three ‘types of tasks’, and each one requires me to be in a different ‘mental mode’. Three 'modes' are:
1. CREATOR MODE [Concept & Product]
when I am generating new ideas for our business concept and working on our ‘product’,
2. GENERATOR MODE [Sales & Capital]
when I am generating money to fuel our business growth, either through selling our product or trading equity or credentials for capital to run the company,
3. MANAGER MODE [People & Money]
when I am managing day to day operations, which involves managing people and managing cash flow, and escalations related to them.
Key is to ‘balance and optimise’ by being in the right ‘mode’ for the right ‘task’ or selecting the right ‘task’ for the right ‘mode’ (at the right ‘time’, and in the right ‘proportion’).
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How can we use this framework?:
To optimise my ‘mental energy’ and ‘time’ I ask these questions to myself:
1. Am I aware which ‘mode’ I am in?
2. Is this the right ‘mode’ for me right now?
3. What do I need to do to change my ‘mode’ that is best for my current environment or needs?
4. Shall I prioritise ‘task’ that matches my current mental ‘mode’?
Please read more COMPLETE VERSION in the article that I had posted earlier: