Product Habits - What an executive does all day

The Joys of Being a Stoic

I've long been fascinated by stoicism, and lately, many others have taken an interest in it, too. This read highlights some of the biggest misconceptions about stoic ideology. Ultimately, it's a philosophy designed not to give people a "stiff upper lip," but rather, to help people stop beating themselves up for things they have no control over. In a year like 2020, there's never been a better time to understand stoicism—and practice it as often as you can. 

A Never Ending Thread of the Very Best Online Content and Resources for Early Stage Startups

This past week, I started my first never ending tweet thread of the very best online content and resources for early-stage startups. It's where I'll be sharing everything I come across that I think startup founders and teams would benefit from reading and watching. If you're interested in following along, bookmark it and come back to recheck the thread every so often for more early-stage startup content resources. 

Daily Planner for Busy People

Sunsama recently pivoted from a "social network for time" (think: Calendly meets LinkedIn) to a daily planner that helps busy people create a calm, focused, and intentional plan each day. I enjoyed reading co-founder Ashutosh's launch post on Hacker News, along with the comments and his responses. This is a compelling and insightful explanation of the company's history and how they finally landed on the product they just launched. It's a quick read, and well worth the time. 

How Do You Effectively Get Feedback From Users?

If you've been reading this newsletter for a while, you know I place a premium on thoughtful customer research and feedback. If you feel the same way but don't exactly know how to get quality feedback from users, read this thread. It's filled with some great research ideas. A few of my favorites: Identify key points in the customer journey when you want to collect feedback, and create channels of communication other than email (e.g. WhatsApp, Twitter, etc). Which strategy are you going to try?

The Psychology of Misinformation During the 2020 U.S. Elections

Here's a (perhaps unsurprising) statistic: False stories spread 600% faster than fact-based ones. Another interesting one: 59% of links shared on social media are shared without ever being read (!!!). This fascinating case study presents a simple idea that might help social media platforms cut down the spread of misinformation significantly without having to censor content. It serves as a reminder that sometimes the smallest UX change can have a monumental impact—not just on a company's bottom line, but also a society's wellbeing. 

How UX Copy Drives Better Business Results

UX copy is often treated like an afterthought because it lives at the intersection of two sets of expertise: marketing and design. If those teams aren't already collaborating, they should be. Here are a handful of specific lessons you can apply to your UX copy. Many of them are seemingly straightforward, but does your website or app pass the test on each one? If not, it's time to clean up your copy. Your acquisition and retention metrics will improve as a result. 

Don't Use Vanity Metrics to Measure Your Success

Gojek's Former SVP of Business Intelligence and Growth Crystal Widjaja shares what she's learned about startup growth strategy, including the common pitfalls to avoid. I also found her insight on team building fascinating; she ultimately grew the Gojek data team from one person (her) to over 200 people. As you might imagine, she experienced many challenges on her journey, and now she's sharing what she learned during the process. Listen to the full conversation here.

Should You Delegate or Do It Yourself?

I've seen plenty of founders get caught up in the dilemma of doing everything themselves, and continuing to micromanage even after they've hired people to support them. If you haven't quite figured out what or when to delegate, read this. My big takeaway: Let my team experiment with how they choose to delegate, even if I have a hunch that one of their ideas is a "mistake." It may not be, after all.