It Doesn't Have to be Crazy at Work

by Jason Fried

It was a great feature, and customers ultimately loved it, but we had to rush it. That’s what promises lead to—rushing, dropping, scrambling, and a tinge of regret at the earlier promise that was a bit too easy to make.

mentally prepare for what comes after launch. If you think it’s all sunshine and roses ahead, you’re going to be caught off guard. If you understand what the future might look like, you can visualize it and be ready when the rain doesn’t let up.

Ultimately, startups are easy, stayups are hard. Keeping the show running for the long term is a lot harder than walking onstage for the first time.

So pace yourself. Don’t burn out early thinking the hard part is behind you.

When you deal with people who have trouble, you can either choose to take the token that says “It’s no big deal” or the token that says “It’s the end of the world.” Whichever token you pick, they’ll take the other.

We decided that if the good old days were so good, we’d do our best to simply settle there. Maintain a sustainable, manageable size. We’d still grow, but slowly and in control. We’d stay in the good days—no need to call them old anymore.