Most Important Lifestyle Habits Of Successful Founders

[@ycombinator]

What good habits are important to staying healthy as a founder?

[@MarkMark]

I love this talk, so useful. Starting my day with a Yoga class has been super-useful for me. By the time my work day starts, the most "challenging" part of the day is behind me. ; )

[@marioacosta1842]

DO NOT LOOK AT PHONE! I have a morning routine where I am not allowed to look at my phone after 1 hour of waking up. Before looking at my phone, I need to have a checklist of the goals that I want to do for the day. *Also, have a bottle of water that measures how much water I need to drink a day (calculates it with smart watch and weather). Excellent decision!

[@ifoundaim]

Sunlight, clean water, exercise, mindfulness, & good sleep

[@chuhaoliu5050]

Listen to YC podcast

[@MrTiagopereira89]

#biohacking and #habits

[@sakurira]

"Salary is for living. Equity is for upside". I like that

[@DiddleDangle]

For me, quitting alcohol was the best thing I ever did as far as my career and being able to do the things my friends couldn't.

[@thrilos7]

I wish this information was available 10 years ago.. my mindset assured failure. The grey areas are truly difficult to deal with when you’re going through something alone.. it’s amazing how well these guys articulated the importance of “it depends”. Thank you for sharing your gift of knowledge. I wish you both all the very best.

[@saraeissa4954]

Really relevant advice for me right now. Checking out a private office at 2pm today because my home environment is where I’m the least productive

[@kevando_gg]

same

[@shoespeaks7433]

Wework 👍👌

[@EntrepreneurRobinPaul]

Regus is better than wework

[@TheEsotericProgrammer]

The environment stuff is weak advice, if you meditate, dopamine fast and don't watch any kind of entertaining content or play video games, you will be able to focus everywhere.

[@VidimusWolf]

@@TheEsotericProgrammer If you have to do all that then something is deeply wrong with you. Sacrificing any enjoyment in life is a very stupid and harmful move.

[@waymanharris1284]

Agreeeeeed big time!!❤ I never could have calculated how much home (family) would affect my ability to be productive! Just got a small office, my launch is delayed, but I'm in heaven!!💯

[@StrandedKnight84]

*nodding intensifies*

[@ironized]

3 seconds into the video and I already think this comment is funny

[@rohitashwachakraborty370]

Now I can’t get Noddy out of my head

[@YouAreDifferent]

I stopped looking at the video and just listened to the audio, just because of so much nodding.

[@kabewar77]

Professional commentator

[@MBAnoBrainer_GMATPrep]

Is it normal for one’s nose to bleed while watching a video?

[@neuroklyde]

This video was super helpful. I live in Lesotho, a country inside South Africa, this is the coldest country in Africa, but our house heating infrastructure is so poor. I have limited coding hours because it gets very cold some times, But viewing these video made me realize that it is up to me to find a better working space which can increase my productivity.

[@chriscollins2073]

Wishing you the best!

[@mamotalemankoe3775]

Thats so cool. I heard your pipes freeze there, it's crazy considering where I am, in South Africa Pretoria, is not too far from there but its normally hot as hell here. Hope what your working on goes well.

[@johnstalkernet]

Thanks guys as always. Would love to hear tips on 30/40/50+ year old software founders, juggling primary/secondary incomes with families, while still making steady startup progress. Have you seen this work, and if so, what is specifically critical for this type of approach?

[@matthewmucker2161]

Man, it's good to know I'm not the only one. It's effin' hard to get a startup going using nights and weekends after the kids are in bed after working a 9-5 job needed to pay the bills!

[@wolphiekun]

+1

[@andreasv9472]

@@matthewmucker2161 this

[@LazizbekYusupov92]

Interesting, has there been a video about that? The question was asked 3 mo ago. Would love to hear about that!

[@kjoseph555]

This is an indiehacker community question more than a yc question

[@liammclaughlin2321]

These videos between Michael and Dalton are so helpful. Really appreciate the work you guys are putting into this and the valuable advice.

[@placeholder_name321]

So insightful

[@mamotalemankoe3775]

Their synergy is off the charts.

[@rudhisundar]

Really wanted to say both of you thanks and give 2 hugs. This talk was designed for me, thank you from the Bottom of my heart, thank you from India.

[@duncanmacmillan2036]

I'm so grateful to you two guys for sharing your conversations. This is really valuable to me.

[@zzzzzzz5299]

"Your startup failed, but that doesn't mean you failed" This hit. I have heard of this but had to really understand it when mine failed. Now I'm onto my next. I've had people around me, who were close to me, who thought of me as failure, because I've put all my life to work on something that ultimately failed. To some people, they can only see binary results "Yes" or "No", in other words did you hit a home run or not. However, in reality, you know these things are cumulative. They need trials and errors. They will have ups and downs. If you have failed before, don't worry. Pick yourself back up. Learn from your experience. External voices sometimes don't matter as much, if you've carefully examined the facts of your own situation. Keep trying.

[@CuttingEdgeSchool]

I work as a Designer at one of the YC startups and these videos teach me SO MUCH. I am so thankful. But I TOTALLY love Michael's laughs. They are so genuine and so sweet haha, it just cheers me up!

[@ioriii_k]

Didn’t expect that I could see you here! Love your content and lessons🥰

[@CuttingEdgeSchool]

@@ioriii_k of course! I’m building a product so learning daily from them

[@jerryoverton7037]

For me, this was the most helpful discussions yet. It's hard to find people willing to talk about the emotional issues of startup. It's even harder to find conversations with actionable recommendations. I found myself pausing the video to write down a number of to-do items. I'll have to watch this one a few times. You have no idea how helpful these are.

[@chuhaoliu5050]

6:30 "What if it (your startup) works? Are you set up for this to not work or are you set up for this to work" What a punchline for builing good lifestyle habits for founders!

[@stephaneessomba9441]

Thank you guys for this amazing series, I watch you from Cameroon 🇨🇲, a country of central Africa. Your tips and advice are clear and very useful for me as a newbies in tech and entrepreneurship

[@CELLPHONETECH078]

Say no more my life has been adjusted. Company over everything ❤

[@placeholder_name321]

These are INCREDIBLE points! Do you guys have Spotify? I love listening to these audios when I’m in my car

[@chuka231d8]

I am not trying to be a founder right now but always enjoy those talks, it's full of lessons and insights.

[@VANCOUVERHOUSEFINDER]

I am always looking for technical people and I post on craigslist in my area. I got someone today who just ripped my post and started calling me names. I really don’t get it, I don’t know this person. My day didn’t start out great, but I kept going after watching this . Thanks you gentlemen.

[@Afrifama]

Recently I got punched right in the centre of my face, it really hurt and made me question my decision-making skills as a founder. I am still reeling when I remember it, and hopefully, I will recover soon. This vlog is timely and insightful.

[@matthawksworth]

It seems unreal, but there is always a new way forward. There is an ever-existing goodness in life also, this show is crazzzy helpful

[@dbadaddy7386]

A written agreement between partners with CLEAR delineation of responsibilities and a clear process of how to deal with conflict which is actually followed is crucial. It's not about trust, it's about clear process and expectations. Etiquette is dumb and uncomfortable but what it does is provide clear, mutually understood expectations.

[@diononeofyourbusiness8634]

Great content, but what actually amazed me the most when I came to a managerial position, was the huge cosmos of untold cosmos of personal coaching and therapists for management positions. I don't know of a single successful manager who did not make heavy and regular use of personal coaching. Things like developing better habits, how to organize life and work. You name, it exists.

[@jaredbeckwith]

This like ESPN for entrepreneurs

[@leafhappy]

Swearing off alcohol and getting into the gym at least once a week to cardio it out have been life changing for the writer of this comment

[@suryakantpandit3006]

Thank you Michael and Dalton for explaining how to handle low moments. Full of great advice.

[@dlysele]

One of the habits that I found from people is that they don't commit. They do not commit to what they promise and burn with only 3 minutes of energy. I was in a startup where a co-founder was as enthusiastic as I was, and I burned the midnight oil to get the MVP going. After 3 months, the co-founder had his attention elsewhere and just can't be arsed with anything about the project any more. He was like "yea, I like the idea a lot." But I was like, "Ok, and...?" Then he just couldn't say anything else.

[@quasa0]

Realizing more and more your advice on a much deeper level since watching this video. Thank you so much. Such a good collections of things to think about

[@Leslie-ROOT-WISE-REPAIR]

Been feeling like I've been running through mud, but you guys made me belly laugh today. Appreciate you.

[@bluecuracao6478]

Thank you both! It was quite a useful conversation, especially about failures

[@TBHealthy]

Social media can indeed be toxic, as you say, Michael, but it's in your power to decide who you follow, who you unfriendly and who you listen to. Interestingly enough, I found your channel through a post on Instagram. It's all about being smart on social media.

[@amitbhatt9972]

I just discovered this channel recently, and it is the most valuable channel I have found so far on youtube. Thanks for sharing this kinda stuff.

[@Truth-at]

Hi I am from India (odisha) Asish, Mind-blowing thought you both are discussing. My age now 21 but my life manifesto only for build a great company in world. Then my all 90% asset donate for sharing knowledge in entire world.

[@sportriot7440]

hii asish i am krishna what you working on?

[@cherrox5500]

I feel like they described my life in a few minutes. Thanks for the support! this really touched my heart

[@amishthaker7270]

Loved the part about how the information you consume also effects you....

[@anest-uk]

I don't normally binge-watch anything, but... these are very good, both as entertainment and 'education'. Well done!

[@chapterme]

Chapters (Powered by ChapterMe) - 00:00 - Introduction 00:35 - Preventative - Plan for the punches 01:50 - Adulting harder 03:07 - Audit how you live 04:05 - Early good habits - 80-20 solution 07:23 - Information diet - Social media 09:22 - Salary bump 12:51 - Hard conversations 15:48 - Dealing with conflict 16:37 - Expectation setting 18:00 - Treatment - Do I have to do anything right now? 18:15 - Do I have to do anything right now? 19:54 - What if we do nothing? 21:08 - Taking a day off 22:35 - Hanging out with the right people 24:59 - Mental healthcare 26:50 - Fatal punches 30:20 - Non-technical founders

[@TheGamingAlong]

That's so cool

[@byyy.nathan]

thank you

[@chapterme]

@@byyy.nathan You are welcome 😊

[@jiaaggarwal5873]

16 years old watched this video more times than i can count

[@BoodskiBro]

Your comments about sleep, diet and exercise was a light-bulb moment for me.

[@bluepunkrocker]

Love these videos! I've been binge watching these and the Spotify ep! So much great info to help me get started!

[@MrCargill89]

Found your channel via ig Incredibly confirming video to let me know I’m. On right track I implement all these currently though it’s against the grain of what is advised most times and it has led to better results in all facets of life Working on getting my house in order (me and my business) Thank you for what you provide

[@WillVilla]

hey man thanks so much for these words. pandemic was a real punch n my face, I thought I failed in life, but those setbacks laid the ground to all that is finally starting to happen now in my life. looking forward to see more videos of you guys

[@mojorero]

13:45 This anxious VS avoidant energy difference is definitely a HUGE problem. How do you do to recognize both kinds of characters before troubles begin? Which is the best strategy to help these 2 types of personalities communicate better with each other?

[@clivejefferies]

This is good advice for anyone. Not just founders.

[@margaretcezar1109]

Thank you both. Thanks God I'm not in that terrible position.

[@ambivalentrecord]

Great episode, startups you're mentoring are very lucky to have you.

[@FireLiteCreations]

Wow, that's wisdom! Thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge on dealing with punches. 🤜🤛 Definitely applicable to working relationships even outside of the startup life.

[@gdthegreat]

Hey Micheal, soon will meet you to get your mentorship.... loved this channel and community, a lot.

[@josephtimkovsky201]

Love it. Lots of wisdom that helps to go through rough times at a startup. Thanks!

[@sotasearcher]

today I learned I have the information diet of a successful start up founder

[@rosesterling3033]

Brilliant advice! Some true gems of wisdom here to implement into our media company and founding team.

[@mustafaerhanhamzakad6021]

Most helpful KZbin canal I ever saw

[@digitalproducerdirector2688]

thanks to you two guys for sharing these conversations. it helped me a lot

[@anirudhm]

It's unfair that these videos are available for free :) Please don't stop making more of these!

[@santhoshmuruganantham7435]

Soooo true . This is worth million $ , but sad to see so less ppl value content like these

[@mlntdtechbae]

Really good insight. I thoroughly enjoy this channel!

[@wybeprod7632]

Precious advice, thank you!

[@ryantanosa5893]

More videos pls , i hope theres a segment for founder interviews

[@deviprasad5392]

Excellent insights, Thank you for sharing your views and knowledge on dealing with punches.

[@reyz1713]

These videos are just perfect haha. SO much useful content, but never short of humour haha

[@nickla621]

Thanks guys! These are great reminders and food for thought at my current phase of live.

[@PraveenKumar-uc6sn]

The only videos I open youtube for. Cheers.

[@ankitmhatre1764]

I wish, I meet you guys someday. Stay tuned

[@kachekijaanlega]

so true about having good habits doesnt mean u will always keep them,

[@toc7olwn680]

31:46 Michael: Great chize-day Alton Dalton: Thanks Ben

[@HIDDENADHD]

Best episode yet!!🎉

[@Gorkhdevasi]

So useful.... I'm from India🥰🥰

[@idiotstrippinidiots5652]

tnx fr a great video 🌞.....2:27 and 11: 13 24:50 are the best parts 💯✨

[@kbrizy7490]

Excellent stuff. Thank you YC for your contributions.

[@monotheist..]

good sleep pattern good diet goood exercise andget a sun

[@dynamics9000]

if you want to live a happy life, start working on passive incomes.........

[@ritchiewlc]

Super underrated insights! Thanks so much for the great content

[@jpmaureira]

Thanks Gents, your insight is always appreciated

[@imrankhansaami]

11:45 You need a philosophy of what you're solving for around compensation you want to set everyone up for success

[@TaigMacCarthy]

Regarding information-dieting, here's the superfood: One Piece. You watch One Pieces and life gets better, your mood gets better and your decisions become healthier.

[@mtrisi]

This is a top YC video

[@urffffurf]

Love y'all! I needed this !

[@2099Ai]

Thanks Alot. 31:31 I learnt Alot I'll use in my startup❤❤

[@sherrysyed]

I don’t own a startup or business but I’m using this to build my life and character back together rahhahaha

[@leoc.3675]

Another great piece. Thanks for doing this.

[@mus3equal]

Thanks, needed this today!

[@eniggma9353]

Nagga this shyz real fine, great work gentlemen ;D

[@ashleyfrost9666]

What is the difference between researching investors and just adding investor "noise" by overdoing it?

[@madeinkonada]

This is a highly valuable video. Thank you!

[@hansadler6716]

If leaving these things behind is painful and a sacrifice for you, then you shouldn't try to start a startup.

[@johanngross6953]

Prevention: 1. Audit how you live: - Are you living in a home where you feel more or less powerful? - Good diet, exercise? Are you sleeping ok? - Are you with people that make you better? Good habits matter - Do you have your house in order? 2. Social media - look at your information diet: - The information we consume affects us like a diet does: doom scrolling - Successful founders: block social media - screen time tracking 3. Salary bumps - a 5-10% bump can make a huge lifestyle change - You shouldn't be saving a lot of money from your salary (probably not good) - Does your startup salary give you the lifestyle that allows you to be all in on your startup because the real world isn't distracting you negatively? - Often for different founders, this is different (i.e. what if a founder has student loans?) - Set everyone up for success, align incentives - Michael Siebel's philosophy: Salary is for living and equity is for upside 4. Learn to have hard conversations with your co-founders and for everyone to be ok afterward - When you get punched in the face, you'll know how to interact with each other - Style of dealing with frustration is important to think about. Understand how your co-founders deal with frustration, it's not always the same 5. Expectation setting - If you're good at expectation settings, you will learn how to deal with things and it's key to prevention - Don't set stupid expectations, so you don't reach them and then panic. Treatment: 1. Fight or flight - When something bad happens, you want to make a move, don't do it. Sleep on it. - The best founders use "No action" as a key play. - Don't do this when someone's health is on the line, or when someone's about to go to jail. 2. It's ok to take the day off or go home - Take the day to bring a better version of yourself the next day - When things go bad, know who to be with. - The best people, when things go bad go on a hike - The worst people, when things go wrong drink and do drugs 3. Healthcare - Therapy is good - Medication is good 4. Fatal punch (failure) - Don't give up! Sometimes things are going well, and you need to see the facts - Sometimes you need to stop, especially when you start hurting people around you - If your startup failed, it doesn't mean you failed! These experiences you have are valuable to you even if your company didn't work. You learned 10x more than you would've learned otherwise

[@rickie_bo]

Great summary Johann! It would be nice if your comment is pinned by Y Combinator :)

[@MouhamadDiouf-hm3jg]

You are so nice my friend take care of yourself

[@oyisalanga1295]

I am so grateful for the content, however im am more grateful for the fact that they expose failures from companies that they funded so that we can learn. Its strange for such a big institution to explicitly say what their founders get wrong so that we else where can freely avoid those mistakes.

[@jonathanlobe509]

Grateful guys ! Thank you

[@Fanaro]

26:55 Learned Optimism, by Martin Seligman (3 dimensions of pessimism: permanence, pervasiveness and personalization)

[@RyanTooCloseToCrying]

Really enjoyed the video!

[@yaboiavery5986]

You don't get what you want, you get what you deserve. It doesn't matter your goal, if you invest 1000 a day for 1000 days, you're gonna be a millionaire Similarly, everyone in the Olympics has the same goal, yet not everyone wins. If you want to reach extraordinary goals, you have to do extraordinary things.

[@chrisrosch4731]

drop your skincare routine bro

[@VANCOUVERHOUSEFINDER]

You guys are too good.

[@Bubbalubagus]

How can you "crash on a friends couch" but then abide by all the other tenets like "win points at home", "gain good sleep", "healthcare", "not sacrifice relationships (putting strain on friendships/family/overstaying welcomes)"? A lot of startup advice is contradictory, but in reality, you just need a good idea, the awareness to spot a good idea (pivot) and the hard work to execute on the idea. Unlike most other founders, I believe the idea is the root of all success. I don't think it is the most important thing but there is no point to being a founder if you are just going to work on to-do-lists, NFT marketplaces or AI chatbots all day every day to make them 0.0005% better or hell, most of the time, worse, than the other incumbents. I find myself getting stuck in startup graveyard ideas surrounding human-motivation/to-do-list adjacent products a lot.

[@sixpooltube]

Fantastic video, once again

[@YoannBuzenet]

That was pure gold. Thank you

[@exponent42]

Seibel has one of the most contagious laughs

[@paulgerlach9913]

y’all are too funny treating these YC vids as mini startups of their own, I find myself simultaneously taking in useful advice and micro-analyzing each video as if it were a pitch deck. you guys do a great job, but I would recommend taking an online course on storytelling (colin and samir have a great one for youtube) and adding animations/visuals to increase the TAM of your videos. Also clip the best moments after adding my suggestions and post them to tik tok. if you’re gonna treat this like a startup might as well go all out.

[@jamesjosuejara]

When I started to remove stress clickers from my life, I started to be a better founder.