Three interconnected insights that fundamentally changed how I run SimpleDirect and ANC. Why finding balance beats going to extremes, measuring the right things determines your destination, and building systems creates compound leverage.

Thought #1: Why LinkedIn makes me cringe (and why I was wrong too):

• LinkedIn is 50% performance theater - fake vulnerability, motivational quotes, "crushed this meeting" posts
• I went to opposite extreme for years - built in silence, posted nothing from 2019-2024
• Got sucked into competitor's secrecy mindset, feared idea theft
• Result: zero feedback, no community, shouting into empty room
• Real answer: need both building AND sharing, just find your ratio (mine is 70/30)

The simple test for authentic content: 

• If you disappeared tomorrow, would people miss your VALUE or just notice the SILENCE?
• If they miss insights/frameworks within a week, you're doing it right
• If they notice months later you stopped posting, that's performance mode
• Real founders share learning moments that become others' learning moments too

Thought #2: Most people measure the wrong things:

• Spent three years measuring: How much can I raise? What's our valuation? When's Series A?
• Was measuring someone else's version of success, not mine
• Engineer friends making $150-300K think entrepreneurship is too risky
• But their metrics plateau - $150K → $300K → $500K → stops (linear trajectory)
• Entrepreneur metrics compound once you hit breakout point

The content creation metrics trap:

• DHH (Basecamp founder) checked daily blog stats for 6 months, felt like screaming into void
• 60-70% of podcasts quit at episode 20 due to daily dopamine metric checking
• Measuring daily stats vs 12-month windows misses compound growth
• Same with money: linear thinking (task A = pay B) vs compound thinking (make money while sleeping)

Critical insight: Metrics you choose determine where you end up. Linear metrics = plateau. Compound metrics = growth.
Thought #3: Stopped working, started building systems instead:

• Most founders in "execution mode" - task comes up, process it, do it, repeat
• Busy doesn't equal productive
• Shifted to "architect mode" - which tasks are repetitive? What can be automated?
• Build system once, let it run forever

SimpleDirect system examples:

• Customer support ate hours daily, now ChatRoute handles 80% automatically 24/7
• Delegation with frameworks - systems run without me (mostly)
• Even podcast production became systematic workflow
• One hour saved per day = 5 hours per week = massive compound time investment

The harsh question that reveals everything: If you disappeared for 7 days with zero work or replies, would your business keep running? If everything stops = you're doing work. If everything keeps running = you've built systems.
How to start building systems:

• Look at last 3 tasks you did this week
• Document what you repeat constantly
• Ask: Can AI handle it? Can software automate it? Can I document the process?
• Don't need to code - use Zapier, Slack bots, ChatGPT workflows
• Turn ONE task into a system THIS WEEK (not this month)

The common thread across all three thoughts:

• Performance vs Doing = balance building and broadcasting
• Measuring What Matters = compound value beats linear activity
• Systems Over Work = leverage beats doing tasks manually
• All require same mindset: optimize for compounding results, not feeling productive

Real productivity defined:

• Building systems that compound
• Measuring what actually matters
• Sharing just enough to distribute what you built
• Doing nothing while systems run themselves

Three questions for this weekend:

1. Performance vs Doing: What's your honest ratio? (0% building in silence or 100% all performance?)
2. What are you measuring? List top 3 metrics - are they linear or compound?
3. What work could be a system? Document one repetitive task and automate it THIS WEEK

Red flags you're optimizing for feeling productive instead of results: Checking daily stats constantly, doing same manual tasks repeatedly, measuring someone else's success metrics, going to extremes (100% building in silence OR 100% performance posting).

Bottom line: LinkedIn performance feels productive but builds nothing. Daily metrics feel productive but miss trajectory. Manual tasks feel productive but don't scale. Real productivity is building compound systems, measuring what matters, and finding your balance between building and sharing.

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Email: george@founderreality.com