Gary Ong | August 30th, 2021

Monday mornings can be a difficult time. We are excited for all the boons the week may bring but also anxious for all the failures that will surely be there. Sometimes, remnant regrets linger from the week before, long after celebrations and wins have dwindled. Left with a void, we find ourselves thinking, “I think this week is going to suck.”

As a founder in a deep tech startup, Monday mornings are especially difficult. Email is anxiety provoking. Maybe today is the day an investor pulls out of a deal. Or, an employee may suddenly decide to quit. How much runway do I have left? Will I be able to make payroll in six months? And while all this is in your mind, make sure you also properly plan all your experiments and execute them perfectly so that the technical progress doesn’t get delayed. After all, we have to lead by example, especially in technical leadership. In short, it’s a lot, and it can feel like a fog.

When you’re in a fog, the first thing to do is to keep calm. Stop and just breathe.

Breathe in,
know you’re breathing in.
Breathe out,
know you’re breathing out.
Breathe in,
know you’re breathing in.
Breathe out,
know you’re breathing out.

Do you feel better now? Did you find yourself smiling?

Now that you are calm, just put one foot in front of the other. Take it one step at a time. Then, carry on.