Rob Walling

It's going to take a toll on your ability to push your business forward. And while there is benefit to playing a video game or having an old-fashioned on a Friday afternoon, there is benefit to these activities that make you happy. Might be good for your mental health. They might put you around people that you enjoy spending time with.

It's going to take a toll on your ability to push your business forward. And while there is benefit to playing a video game or having an old-fashioned on a Friday afternoon, there is benefit to these activities that make you happy. Might be good for your mental health. They might put you around people that you enjoy spending time with.

It comes back to this moderation and the cost of engaging with something for an hour versus 10 hours is much different. Now I've talked a lot about in the moment distractions. I might call these micro distractions where it's spending time with someone and playing video games, whatever, versus macro. So what are macro distractions? These are bigger decisions. Let's launch an entirely new product.

It comes back to this moderation and the cost of engaging with something for an hour versus 10 hours is much different. Now I've talked a lot about in the moment distractions. I might call these micro distractions where it's spending time with someone and playing video games, whatever, versus macro. So what are macro distractions? These are bigger decisions. Let's launch an entirely new product.

Let's translate our app into Spanish. Let's make a huge strategic decision that is going to take months and months and hundreds of person hours to implement. Even building a side project when your first effort, your startup, isn't growing as fast as you want it to be. Is that distraction a good thing or a bad thing? Well, I'll come back to this. Number one, is it in moderation?

Let's translate our app into Spanish. Let's make a huge strategic decision that is going to take months and months and hundreds of person hours to implement. Even building a side project when your first effort, your startup, isn't growing as fast as you want it to be. Is that distraction a good thing or a bad thing? Well, I'll come back to this. Number one, is it in moderation?

And two, what is the cost of engaging with this potential distraction? And the macro ones are a little trickier because the worst distractions masquerade as productivity. I want to say that again. The worst distractions masquerade as productivity.

And two, what is the cost of engaging with this potential distraction? And the macro ones are a little trickier because the worst distractions masquerade as productivity. I want to say that again. The worst distractions masquerade as productivity.

Because if I know it's a distraction, if I know, again, it's playing video games, it's, you know, anything I do for a hobby, I would say, oh, it's a distraction from work. Again, that's not my worldview, but, you know, let's be very black and white about it in this segment. And if it's obvious, and I know it's a distraction, it's okay.

Because if I know it's a distraction, if I know, again, it's playing video games, it's, you know, anything I do for a hobby, I would say, oh, it's a distraction from work. Again, that's not my worldview, but, you know, let's be very black and white about it in this segment. And if it's obvious, and I know it's a distraction, it's okay.

But I see a lot of entrepreneurs who think that reading more business books, reading Hard Thing About Hard Things, or a biography about an entrepreneur, they feel like that is educating them on how to start a company. And to me, it's a distraction. Masquerading is productivity.

But I see a lot of entrepreneurs who think that reading more business books, reading Hard Thing About Hard Things, or a biography about an entrepreneur, they feel like that is educating them on how to start a company. And to me, it's a distraction. Masquerading is productivity.

One of my most popular blog posts back when I was still blogging was called Startup Founders Should Stop Reading Business Books. And, you know, don't take the title literally because isn't the SaaS playbook a business book? It is.

One of my most popular blog posts back when I was still blogging was called Startup Founders Should Stop Reading Business Books. And, you know, don't take the title literally because isn't the SaaS playbook a business book? It is.

But in the post, I talked about how highly tactical, highly prescriptive books like the SaaS playbook or Traction by Gabriel Weinberg, even like EOS, like things that give you information that actually improves your business, I put those in a category of training, of actually showing you tactics and strategies that will get you there faster. Right?

But in the post, I talked about how highly tactical, highly prescriptive books like the SaaS playbook or Traction by Gabriel Weinberg, even like EOS, like things that give you information that actually improves your business, I put those in a category of training, of actually showing you tactics and strategies that will get you there faster. Right?

Reading books by Malcolm Gladwell and even a lot of, I mean, I like Seth Godin's books, but a lot of Seth Godin and just frankly, most business books that are out there are just not going to help you grow a startup faster. Take this as someone who reads 30, 40 books a year. I have 900 books in my Audible account that I read books via audio.

Reading books by Malcolm Gladwell and even a lot of, I mean, I like Seth Godin's books, but a lot of Seth Godin and just frankly, most business books that are out there are just not going to help you grow a startup faster. Take this as someone who reads 30, 40 books a year. I have 900 books in my Audible account that I read books via audio.

Obviously, if you've listened to this podcast for any length of time, I am pro book. I've just written my fifth book. But I know when I'm listening to most books and most podcasts, even if they are business-oriented, that they are, quote-unquote, a distraction. But many entrepreneurs don't, and that's when distractions masquerade as productivity.

Obviously, if you've listened to this podcast for any length of time, I am pro book. I've just written my fifth book. But I know when I'm listening to most books and most podcasts, even if they are business-oriented, that they are, quote-unquote, a distraction. But many entrepreneurs don't, and that's when distractions masquerade as productivity.