Tips on isolation from someone who spent a year in space

I Spent a Year in Space, and I Have Some Tips on Isolation

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent a year in space, so it goes without saying that he knows a thing or two about isolation. With many of us working suddenly from home and practicing social distancing, it is natural to feel disconnected, scattered, and stir crazy. Here is Scott’s advice for maintaining a sense of normalcy in an abnormal time. I've certainly had to make my own adjustments, but two things that have helped me enormously: getting a little bit of time outside each day and sticking to a schedule as best I can. 

What Matters Most for Your Startup During a Crisis

I recently did an AMA on Relay and shared my thoughts on everything from remote work to building FYI publicly through content. I got a question about how startups can get through this unprecedented time. During any crisis, three things matter: your team, your customers, and your cash flow. Here is my advice on managing all three. What are you prioritizing at your startup right now?

How Do You Start Over Again After Your Business Fails?

I really enjoyed reading through this Hacker News thread, which revolves around this question: How do you start again after your business fails and you're feeling burnt out? I thought these ideas were interesting:

• Work a job as normal and boring as you can find. It'll give you perspective on what "normal" problems are. 
• Conduct a thoughtful postmortem to help you close your last chapter properly.
• Allow yourself to be bored. Spend a few months doing things that allow you to say, "Oh, now I see differently." 

A Framework That Reduces Reaction Time and Streamlines Decision-Making

There is a military strategy term called an OODA loop, which stands for observe-orient-decide-act. Its utility extends beyond the military, however. It is a particularly useful concept as it relates to commercial operations and learning processes, and is especially applicable to cyber security. Learn more about the backstory behind the strategy, and how it helps reduce reaction time and streamline decision-making. 

The Remote Sales Survival Guide

COVID-19 is changing the way many startups sell. The Close team has been running a remote sales company for the past six years, and also helped thousands of sales teams around the world learn how to sell remotely. They are best-in-class at helping companies navigate this interesting time we're in. They put together this no-nonsense guide to selling effectively on a remote team, along with quick remote work tips, remote tools and apps, and remote work resources. You can find the survival guide here. 

Asking "Why?" Five Times Can Potentially Save Your Business

The founder of Toyota Industries Sakichi Toyoda invented the concept 5 Whys, which is simply the process of asking "why?" five times to help you get to the root cause of the issue or problem you're facing. This article explains what the concept is more fully, why it is beneficial, and how best to utilize it in your own business. I have found this to be an incredibly useful framework during my own startup journey, and I think you'll get great use out of it, too. 

Layoffs Are Coming

The writing on the wall points to an impending recession. It is a fair conclusion to make that layoffs are coming over the next several months in countless industries, including tech. This read lists out who is most likely to get laid off, how best to prepare for it, and what you can do proactively to buffer yourself should it happen to you.