Office Hours</a>, YC's Group Partners are talking about productivity — what works for the founders they help, and, perhaps more importantly, what <em>doesn’t</em>. </p><p>In many cases, it’s about taking just a<em> bit</em> of time to get introspective; is that trendy new productivity tool actually helping you get things done faster, or would a simple notes app/spreadsheet work better with the way you think? How do you know if a task is real work or “fake” work — the stuff that <em>feels</em> like work, but isn’t actually moving your startup forward?</p><p><a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.ycombinator.com/library/carousel/Office Hours/">Find the other episodes of Office Hours here</a>!</p><figure class=\"kg-card kg-embed-card\"><iframe width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/nF_YWdz6S0Y?feature=oembed\%22 frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen title=\"Startup Experts Reveal Their Top Productivity Advice\"></iframe></figure>","comment_id":"65203ce0b7f98e0001a1d71a","feature_image":"/blog/content/images/2023/10/maxresdefault.jpg","featured":false,"visibility":"public","email_recipient_filter":"none","created_at":"2023-10-06T09:59:12.000-07:00","updated_at":"2023-10-06T10:06:25.000-07:00","published_at":"2023-10-06T10:06:25.000-07:00","custom_excerpt":"For this episode of Office Hours, the Group Partners are talking about productivity — what works for the founders they help, and, perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t. ","codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"custom_template":null,"canonical_url":null,"authors":[{"id":"645000ebb09be6000165fbad","name":"Greg Kumparak","slug":"greg","profile_image":"/blog/content/images/2023/05/greg.jpeg","cover_image":null,"bio":"Greg oversees editorial content at Y Combinator. He was previously an editor at TechCrunch for nearly 15 years.","website":null,"location":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/author/greg/"}],"tags":[{"id":"61fe29efc7139e0001a71166","name":"videos","slug":"videos","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"public","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/tag/videos/"}],"primary_author":{"id":"645000ebb09be6000165fbad","name":"Greg Kumparak","slug":"greg","profile_image":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/content/images/2023/05/greg.jpeg","cover_image":null,"bio":"Greg oversees editorial content at Y Combinator. He was previously an editor at TechCrunch for nearly 15 years.","website":null,"location":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/author/greg/"},"primary_tag":{"id":"61fe29efc7139e0001a71166","name":"videos","slug":"videos","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"public","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/tag/videos/"},"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/office-hours-yc-productivity-tips/","excerpt":"For this episode of Office Hours, the Group Partners are talking about productivity — what works for the founders they help, and, perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t. ","reading_time":1,"access":true,"og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"email_subject":null,"frontmatter":null,"feature_image_alt":null,"feature_image_caption":null},"mentions":[],"related_posts":[{"id":"6650d25c5df3e40001fdc6a2","uuid":"8aa537c9-6aa7-466f-b480-8b5c66effaec","title":"How AI will create more successful founders","slug":"opportunities-in-ai","html":"<p>When a major new technology comes out, huge new opportunities open up for founders that get in on the ground floor. Fortunes were made when the app store came out, when online payments became easy, and when the web itself was brand new.</p><p>Moments like these don’t happen often. When they do, it’s the people that put themselves right at the bleeding edge that find the opportunities — the people who pay attention to each new thing, pull threads, and search for the problems they can solve now that no one could solve before. It’s the people who stay informed and <em>move</em> that get to choose their paths.</p><p>In this episode of <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.ycombinator.com/library/carousel/Dalton & Michael/">Dalton and Michael</a> we’ll talk about why this is that moment for AI, who will find those opportunities, and where to look for the people that’ll help you find them faster.</p><figure class=\"kg-card kg-embed-card\"><iframe width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/KxjPgGLVJSg?feature=oembed\%22 frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen title=\"How New Technology Creates New Businesses\"></iframe></figure>","comment_id":"6650d25c5df3e40001fdc6a2","feature_image":"/blog/content/images/2024/05/new-tech.jpeg","featured":true,"visibility":"public","email_recipient_filter":"none","created_at":"2024-05-24T10:46:04.000-07:00","updated_at":"2024-05-24T10:49:00.000-07:00","published_at":"2024-05-24T10:49:00.000-07:00","custom_excerpt":"When a major new technology comes out, huge new opportunities open up for founders that get in on the ground floor. In this episode of Dalton and Michael, we’ll talk about why this is that moment for AI and who will find those opportunities.","codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"custom_template":null,"canonical_url":null,"authors":[{"id":"61fe29e3c7139e0001a71085","name":"Dalton Caldwell","slug":"dalton-caldwell","profile_image":"/blog/content/images/2022/02/Dalton.jpg","cover_image":null,"bio":"Dalton is Managing Director, Architect and Group Partner at YC. He was the cofounder and CEO of imeem (acquired by MySpace in 2009), and the cofounder and CEO of App.net.","website":null,"location":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/author/dalton-caldwell/"}],"tags":[{"id":"61fe29efc7139e0001a71166","name":"videos","slug":"videos","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"public","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/tag/videos/"}],"primary_author":{"id":"61fe29e3c7139e0001a71085","name":"Dalton Caldwell","slug":"dalton-caldwell","profile_image":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/content/images/2022/02/Dalton.jpg","cover_image":null,"bio":"Dalton is Managing Director, Architect and Group Partner at YC. He was the cofounder and CEO of imeem (acquired by MySpace in 2009), and the cofounder and CEO of App.net.","website":null,"location":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/author/dalton-caldwell/"},"primary_tag":{"id":"61fe29efc7139e0001a71166","name":"videos","slug":"videos","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"public","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/tag/videos/"},"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/opportunities-in-ai/","excerpt":"When a major new technology comes out, huge new opportunities open up for founders that get in on the ground floor. Fortunes were made when the app store came out, when online payments became easy, and when the web itself was brand new.","reading_time":1,"access":true,"og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"email_subject":null,"frontmatter":null,"feature_image_alt":null,"feature_image_caption":null},{"id":"648b397882594d000156ffc8","uuid":"804f8013-d217-478a-b8bb-6121ec648a67","title":"Design Review: Aaron Epstein and Garry Tan critique AI startup websites","slug":"design-review-watch-aaron-and-garry","html":"<p>What are you aiming to say with your startup’s website, and what’s actually coming through?<br><br>In this episode of <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ-uHSnFig5PjnaLTBMsCcE7YPye6-xTX\%22>Design Review</a>, YC Group Partner Aaron Epstein is joined by YC President and CEO Garry Tan to take a closer look at what’s working (and what’s not) on the websites of five different AI startups.</p><figure class=\"kg-card kg-embed-card\"><iframe width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/uIYujpFmvo8?list=PLQ-uHSnFig5PjnaLTBMsCcE7YPye6-xTX\%22 frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen></iframe></figure><p>While their feedback is tailored for each company’s page, there’s a ton of advice in there that’d be useful to <em>anyone</em> building a site for their startup — like why being too clever with your copy can backfire, how to use call-to-actions and animation more effectively, and why you should be quick to get people to a live demo and “show off a feat of strength.”</p><p>This episode features four different Y Combinator companies — <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.rosebud.ai//">Rosebud AI</a>, <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.magicflow.ai//">Magicflow, <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://realitydefender.com//">Reality Defender</a>, and <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.pump.co//">Pump — plus a guest appearance from <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.voiceflow.com//">Voiceflow, a company that volunteered after seeing a previous episode.</p><p>As for what these companies do: figuring that out is part of the fun! Watch along as Aaron and Garry click around these websites — how quickly does the intended product pitch come through for you?</p><p><br></p>","comment_id":"648b397882594d000156ffc8","feature_image":"/blog/content/images/2023/06/Design-Review-Title-Card-1.jpg","featured":true,"visibility":"public","email_recipient_filter":"none","created_at":"2023-06-15T09:16:56.000-07:00","updated_at":"2023-07-21T10:36:49.000-07:00","published_at":"2023-06-15T09:36:08.000-07:00","custom_excerpt":"What are you aiming to say with your startup’s website, and what’s actually coming through?\n\nWatch along as Aaron and Garry examine what’s working (and what’s not) on five different AI startup websites.","codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"custom_template":null,"canonical_url":null,"authors":[{"id":"645000ebb09be6000165fbad","name":"Greg Kumparak","slug":"greg","profile_image":"/blog/content/images/2023/05/greg.jpeg","cover_image":null,"bio":"Greg oversees editorial content at Y Combinator. He was previously an editor at TechCrunch for nearly 15 years.","website":null,"location":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/author/greg/"}],"tags":[{"id":"61fe29efc7139e0001a71166","name":"videos","slug":"videos","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"public","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/tag/videos/"}],"primary_author":{"id":"645000ebb09be6000165fbad","name":"Greg Kumparak","slug":"greg","profile_image":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/content/images/2023/05/greg.jpeg","cover_image":null,"bio":"Greg oversees editorial content at Y Combinator. He was previously an editor at TechCrunch for nearly 15 years.","website":null,"location":null,"facebook":null,"twitter":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/author/greg/"},"primary_tag":{"id":"61fe29efc7139e0001a71166","name":"videos","slug":"videos","description":null,"feature_image":null,"visibility":"public","og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"canonical_url":null,"accent_color":null,"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/tag/videos/"},"url":"https://ghost.prod.ycinside.com/design-review-watch-aaron-and-garry/","excerpt":"What are you aiming to say with your startup’s website, and what’s actually coming through?In this episode of Design Review, YC Group Partner Aaron Epstein is joined by YC President and CEO Garry Tan to take a closer look at what’s working (and what’s not) on the websites of five different AI startups.","reading_time":1,"access":true,"og_image":null,"og_title":null,"og_description":null,"twitter_image":null,"twitter_title":null,"twitter_description":null,"meta_title":null,"meta_description":null,"email_subject":null,"frontmatter":null,"feature_image_alt":"\"Design Review\" in white, written on an orange background","feature_image_caption":null},{"id":"653143b49f4c6200014f4dd3","uuid":"304480e1-0302-4999-ab0c-51991d4715a0","title":"Is it time to quit your job at a unicorn?","slug":"dalton-michael-should-i-quit-my-unicorn-job","html":"<p>If you’re an employee of a late-stage company right now, how would you know when it’s time to move on vs. time to double down? </p><p>It’s an especially pertinent question today; the late stage funding market is… slow and the IPO window is still effectively closed. Is this a good time for employees to consider working for a smaller/earlier stage company?</p><p>The fact is that there isn't an easy answer — it can really vary from person to person, and situation to situation. In this episode of <a href=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.ycombinator.com/library/carousel/Dalton & Michael/">Dalton + Michael</a>, Michael and I share some suggestions on what sort of things an employee of a late-stage startup should be looking for — the good signs and the bad — to best make this decision.</p><figure class=\"kg-card kg-embed-card\"><iframe width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=https://www.ycombinator.com/"https://www.youtube.com/embed/chAoH_AeGAg?feature=oembed\%22 frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen title=\"Should You Quit Your Job At A Unicorn?\"></iframe></figure>","comment_id":"653143b49f4c6200014f4dd3","feature_image":"/blog/content/images/2023/10/SR01E36_thumbnail.jpg","featured":true,"visibility":"public","email_recipient_filter":"none","created_at":"2023-10-19T07:56:52.000-07:00","updated_at":"2023-10-19T09:00:42.000-07:00","published_at":"2023-10-19T09:00:42.000-07:00","custom_excerpt":"If you’re an employee of a late-stage company right now, how would you know when it’s time to move on? There isn't an easy answer — but in this episode, Dalton + Michael share suggestions on the good/bad signs to look for.","codeinjection_head":null,"codeinjection_foot":null,"custom_template":null,"canonical_url":null,"authors":[{"id":"61fe29e3c7139e0001a71085","name":"Dalton Caldwell","slug":"dalton-caldwell","profile_image":"/blog/content/images/2022/02/Dalton.jpg","cover_image":null,"bio":"Dalton is Managing Director, Architect and Group Partner at YC. 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Office Hours: YC’s Group Partners share advice on actually getting things done
Founders are inherently busy people. A lot goes into making something people want.
For this episode of Office Hours, YC's Group Partners are talking about productivity — what works for the founders they help, and, perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t.
In many cases, it’s about taking just a bit of time to get introspective; is that trendy new productivity tool actually helping you get things done faster, or would a simple notes app/spreadsheet work better with the way you think? How do you know if a task is real work or “fake” work — the stuff that feels like work, but isn’t actually moving your startup forward?