Developing good habits is key to success, and who better to model your routines after than leading entrepreneurs?
We caught up with founders from the Austin tech scene to learn about the habits they've adopted over the years to help improve productivity and foster peace of mind. The best part? All of them can be adopted right away.
The 2-minute rule
Everlywell founder and CEO Julia Cheek’s daily follows David Allen’s “two-minute rule” as described in his book “Getting Things Done.” Allen’s rule encourages individuals to complete a task immediately if it can be finished in less than two minutes.
What’s one habit you follow that has contributed to your success?
I am a big advocate of David Allen's two-minute rule and apply it to how I efficiently manage my work and stay as productive as possible. This is especially true with email. I manage to inbox zero, and I am extremely disciplined about email management and fast responses. The pace that you set with your work trickles down into the rest of the organization, and I want to be quick and accessible for the team.
What inspired that habit?
My time is so limited and I'm pulled in 100 different directions. I need to be sure that I'm making decisions and unblocking the team as quickly as possible, and this was the best strategy I've found.
Listening
Internet expert and Ethernet co-inventor Bob Metcalfe follows one simple rule that many struggle with: listening. The professor of innovation at UT Austin and 3Com founder said he learned the importance of listening from 3Com’s CEO.
What’s one habit you follow that has contributed to your success?
Listening — which requires that I stop talking. I write down what I hear and summarize back what I’ve heard using the speaker’s language.
What inspired that habit?
When we brought “adult supervision” in to run my startup, 3Com, I wondered what our new CEO knew that I didn’t. I noticed him doodling in our weekly ops meeting. He doodled “DNT” over and over. I asked what that was all about. He answered that he tended to talk too much in meetings. Doodling “do not talk” reminded him to listen to the team. God gave us two ears and one mouth; take the hint.
Meditation
When True Wealth Ventures founding partner Sara Brand came to the realization that meditation was more than a treat for the mind, she began doing it daily. Research has indicated that controlling your breath reduces stress and improves sleep, which ultimately increases productivity.
What’s one habit you follow that has contributed to your success?
I meditate every morning, even if just for 10 breaths, to decide at a higher level what I need and want from the day.
What inspired that habit?
Understanding the brain research about how much more productive this actually makes me, along with realizing that meditation isn’t a luxury for when I have a chance. (That never seems to happen anyway.) It’s a necessity for good brain health — like brushing your teeth for your brain.
Exercise and influential readings
Clinton Phillips, Medici’s founder and CEO, is a believer in exercise and intellectual input. Every week, Phillips knocks out an audio book. He also hits the track to keep his health in check.
What’s one habit you follow that has contributed to your success?
I have two. First, I listen to one book a week about business, economics or Christianity. I also run. I sprint on the track. You can do 10 100-meter sprints in 10 minutes and its benefits are vastly better than a three-mile jog.
What inspired Medici?
My grades weren't good enough to get into medical school in South Africa. I admire doctors and think it is a very noble profession, so when I saw doctors becoming increasingly miserable, it galvanized the need to use technology to restore ease to their lives. I dream of seeing healthcare as easy and efficient as taking an Uber or ordering on Amazon. We will not stop until we see doctors delivering excellent and effortless care to patients, from anywhere.
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