56: Jason Fried - Motivation, forming habits and calendars

Motivation, forming habits, managing time, and why it’s important to know how much you enjoy solving problems with Jason Fried. Jason is really special to me and a 2nd time guest. Whenever we go at it, there are two worlds clashing in the best way possible. We are both never content with traditions and challenge the status quo; we just often disagree on how to challenge them while we agree on the first principles behind it all. Our fight about calendars and time management is one of my favorite moments in the entire history of my podcast. Takeaways Real-world experience is the best way to learn and develop skills. Consistency and finding what works for you individually are key to forming habits. Calendars can be a useful tool for managing time, but it is important to protect one's time and not let others have too much control over it. New employees at 37 Signals gain knowledge about the market and customers over time rather than being overwhelmed with information upfront. Metrics should be used in conjunction with observation and intuition to make informed decisions. Sound Bites "The best way to learn is to do the work." "If I'm putting something off for a long time, it's probably because I'm not motivated to get it done." "The people you hire are pretty much your most important decisions you're going to make in any business ever essentially." "At the one year point, we have to basically hire you again. This is how we think about it internally." Chapters 02:02 Understanding and Harnessing Motivation 04:18 The Importance of Making the Right Hiring Decisions 06:16 Forming Habits: Consistency and Finding What Works 16:31 Managing Time: The Role of Calendars and Protecting Your Time 35:15 The Right Size for a Company vs Scaling 55:09 Measuring Subjective Factors in Product Development 58:53 Using Metrics and Intuition to Make Informed Decisions Jason’s LinkedIn:   / jason-fried   Jason’s Blog: https://world.hey.com/jason My Blog / Newsletter: www.leahtharin.com Linkedin:   / leahtharin   Twitter:   / leahthar   #productledgrowth