Category: Digest

Procrastination doesn’t come without consequences when you’re working on your business or startup.

I have to admit that there was a time in my younger days when I was all noise and no progress.

I dug so deep into a rabbit hole that my office space and desk began to resemble a spaceship, prioritizing aesthetics over functionality.

Eventually, I found my way to embrace digital minimalism and realized that less is more.

An office space is designed for work. It’s not intended to create distractions that can lead to procrastination.

Today, I’m able to achieve my daily goals in 25% of the time I’ve allocated for them.

The best part? I only use a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro.

Here’s how I started working distraction-free:

• A clean desk
• Focus and Do Not Disturb Mode across iPhone, iPad & Mac
• Removing every notification
• Use the iPad Pro as my productivity device
• Keep a minimal home screen on iPhone

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Eliminating Chat & Communication Apps

I caught myself hanging out on chat apps like Slack, Discord, or MS Teams all day long. A few messages can turn into a long conversation and are a real disruptor when you’re trying to focus on work.

I chose to add those applications on my MacBook only, without notifications, because I work 90% of the time on my iPad Pro.

This might sound backward, but I use the MacBook more as a secondary monitor and for final edits.

Even though the new iPadOS 26 turned the iPad Pro into a laptop (almost), I prefer to keep the device distraction-free.

I have a rule when it comes to chat and communication:

I only open chat apps early in the morning and later in the afternoon to catch up.

Since I carry my iPad everywhere around the house, I’m also not easily tempted to take a quick look at messages on my MacBook.

Lesser Apps Equal Lesser Noise

A while back, my priorities and career goals shifted. That led to a new, simpler productivity stack with mostly native Apple apps and Notion as the nucleus.

When I started using fewer applications, I improved my workflow and increased my efficiency by 200%.

The less I used apps, the less I worried about how to make them work together.

I observed a lot of creators and startup founders going down a rabbit hole with fancy setups and over-engineering processes that are counter-productive and mentally draining.

Removal Of Social Media Apps

There are currently only two social media platforms I use. Threads and Pinterest. I tried to commit enough time to Threads, but I soon realized how draining this can be.

I stopped using Instagram, Facebook & X for years, and it helped me to improve my focus and regain my balance with my personal life.

I found most social media very distracting, and when my wife and I look around in public places like restaurants or bars, it’s almost sad that social interactions are replaced by staring at a screen, doomscrolling through feeds.

I’ve removed all social media apps from every device. I only use the web browser version when absolutely necessary.

Not having any of them on my iPhone or iPad is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Leaving My iPhone In Another Room When Working

One of my favorite hacks and the most efficient one. Even if you can’t remove distractions from your phone, you can try by just separating yourself from your phone when doing deep work.

I caught myself grabbing my phone at random to “check things” for no immediate reason. But once I left my iPhone in another room, I slowly got rid of that bad habit.

Not having my iPhone within reach saved me from procrastination.

Extra Focus Hacks & Tips

To conclude my personal list, here are a few other hacks that I apply to my daily routine:

• Not multitasking: It’s hard for people to stay wired into a specific task. Multitasking isn’t always going to be helpful either, even when you think you’re going slower, it removes friction, and you can finish what you started before moving on to a new task.
• Setting time blocks: Instead of randomly hopping over to emails, chats or other daily chores, set specific time blocks designated for those tasks. Time boxing these chores can increase your productivity.
• Avoiding unplanned meetings: If you don’t need that “quick call”, then just decline, or ask them to send you an email instead. One of the biggest mistakes I’ve witnessed was that teams were having meetings all week, and they ended up achieving nothing.
• 2 Minutes wind down: Winding down is important. I often take 2 minutes and make a simple to-do list in my Apple Reminders app so I know where to start the next day.

Final Word

Working without distractions is easier than it sounds. It’s often the individual who chooses not to work distraction-free.

After a lot of back and forth, I found a system that works for me, and some items in the list might work for you too.

I learned that the more noise, software, and hardware I had, the harder it was to remain on track. Sometimes simplifying it can do wonders, and can save you hours per week.

Time that I can spend on other tasks, or just to spend more time away from my desk.

Don’t make the mistake of placing aesthetics over functionality. Value your time and treat it as a commodity.

Cold emailing is usually related to sales, but it doesn’t have to be.

Building a valuable network can be critical for success, and instead of trying to pitch your service or product, why not just…cold email someone for a coffee chat?

You can’t underestimate a handshake or, face-to-face meetup. 

People trust people, and they’re often more willing to go for coffee instead of endless direct messages through a social media platform.

Over the years, I yielded great results by approaching others with a cold email for a coffee invite.

The purpose of your cold email is:

• Nurturing relationships
• Network opportunities
• Possibly some advice, without emphasizing it

When you eliminate the sales objective, but rather invite someone because you’re genuinely interested in that person, this could lead to a new, meaningful relationship.

Often, those who are willing to meet up are equally interested in your trajectory, what you’re working on, or are trying to find others who can resonate with their interests or goals.

Crafting A Cold Email For A Coffee Chat

It’s simpler than a B2B outreach email, but you still need to consider:

• Short, personal subject line
• A dense introduction about yourself
• Strong body text with a clear motive
• Close

Your subject line could be: “Coffee chat invite in central London”

I prefer to add a specific location, because it highlights you’re nearby and that can help the email open rate.

Hi Ari,

My name is Linda, and I have been following you on Linked/X/Threads for a while. I am the creator of xxx that specializes in xxxx, and you’ve been an inspiration for me when I started this business.

I was hoping if you could spare some time for a coffee chat in central London, and possibly get some advice about xxxx, and hear more about your experience in this field.

Looking forward to hearing from you and hopefully having a short meetup accompanied by a cup of coffee!

Kind regards

Ji

Key Notes Of The Cold Email

When you’re approaching someone who is more successful than you, remember that they value time, and be very direct with your approach.

State your purpose immediately and what you’re hoping to gain from it. Show genuine interests and highlight common interests or values.

If you do, it will be much easier to start a conversation through cold email or during a coffee chat.

If the person agrees to meet up, offer multiple dates and options. It removes friction and is more flexible for the other party that wants to meet with you.

Don’t forget that you’re the one asking. You’re the one who should be the most flexible and considerate.

Where To Meet For A Coffee Chat?

Always find, or propose a convenient location for them. You can always opt for a spot that’s easily accessible by public transportation or by car.

In case you’re unsure, ask them what’s convenient for them and emphasize you’re willing to commute, or meet at their suggested location.

If you can, always choose a quiet place. You don’t want to end up in the loudest or busiest places, where background noise can disturb the conversation.

Double-Confirm The Day Before

It happens when there’s a sudden change of schedule, and it’s best for you to confirm the day before the meetup if the coffee chat is still planned.

Reminding them politely can help you avoid misunderstandings,

Don’t go empty-handed either. 

• Prepare yourself with direct questions you want to ask
• Keep your own story/intro short
• Don’t use your phone or anything that can cause disrespect

You could even highlight your preparation in the reminder:

“I prepared a few questions in advance, so I can ensure you that I am not taking too much of your time during our coffee chat.”

A coffee chat shouldn’t last longer than one hour. Always go with the assumption they’re on the clock, so you can keep the conversation structured.

Follow-Up & Improvise

Once in a while, you’ll find great people and share your enthusiasm or interests.

Whenever I had successful coffee chats, I sent them a follow-up email the next day or within 48 hours.

Follow your instincts. If you sense it’s a dud, still send that follow-up email but with fewer details.

If that other person feels a mutual alignment, you can go more in-depth and possibly offer a second coffee chat.

Final Word

In my early career, I have cold emailed hundreds of people like this. It was far more insightful than talking with dozens of random internet strangers who disappeared faster than I could change my underwear.

Starting relationships is easy; maintaining them is much harder.

I would rather have 5 meaningful relationships I can count on, than 100 mediocre ones who drain the life out of me every single day.

I can honestly say that a lot of my success stemmed from those cold email coffee chats. Not only did I gain clients, but also long-life friends, even if they’re currently living in different parts of the world.

When you’re always working from home (like me), that little change in the day of going out can do wonders for a healthier work-life balance.

There’s a new ongoing trend on Threads. People reselling courses, from creators through MRR (Master Reseller Rights), and it looks like a new gold rush.

The main reason why that’s happening is that reselling can offer a faster market entry and seemingly a lower amount of resources spent because the content already exists.

But is it really?

I’ve met course resellers this month who were “investing” anywhere between $1000 and $3000 in other courses, just to resell them and never got to break even after months of trying.

And it becomes a sunken cost fallacy, where they keep buying other courses, ending up with a half-baked “store” on Stan or Beacons, offering 20+ different courses.

I prefer selling and promoting my free guides and courses because, long-term, you’re going to keep 100% of your revenue, and you’re positioning yourself early enough to create your brand.

You have complete control over the content, the quality, and pricing, and no other reseller can undermine your price.

The difference?

You need to spend a lot of time crafting and writing those guides, but the cost isn’t cash; it’s manual labor and a lot of time spent writing.

Of course, you need to know the subject you’re writing about, and without marketing skills, you might never see a dollar.

But that shouldn’t stop people from trying.

When I started The Fractal Mindset, my startup costs were $103.

• A domain name
• WordPress hosting for a year

That cost is still significantly lower than the course resellers who spend and buy courses to resell them through Master Reselling Rights.

If you’re not confident enough to write your own content or guides, then reselling courses might make more sense initially.

You can learn more about the business or how to market a digital product, but I would encourage everyone to transition to creating their own materials.

Even if you’re not confident, you could always craft free lead magnets first and ask for feedback.

Just like I am doing with my Zero to 500K free guide.

If people love my style of writing or resonate with what you’re explaining, then you might convert them into buyers.

Final Word

I would never resell a course. Because of the lack of control and the competition who’s selling the same courses to other resellers.

Understand your risks and, if you can, do both where your material will become flagship material.

You can promote complementary courses from others through an affiliate structure instead of reselling (big difference) to maximize your revenue.

But consider that great course sellers or individuals often just focus on one digital product (for branding & marketing), so leads aren’t confused about what you’re selling.

Waitlists are speculative, and it’s a vanity metric, unlike most people think. I wouldn’t use a waitlist as a benchmark for future reference or consider it as a validation for your business in any category.

When I pre-launched my SaaS, I had a list of 700 people joining the waitlist.

My biggest mistake? I launched too early, and I didn’t anticipate potential slower growth or progress pre-launch.

People lost interest, and when the launch date arrived, I only managed to convert a fraction of them into paying customers.

If that wasn’t bad enough, I wasn’t sending enough updates to those signups, which probably caused a portion of revenue loss.

I was too focused on the launch, but I was neglecting my waitlist to keep them interested.

What I probably should have done back then was to consider more meaningful updates and offer them a pre-order or early bird deal to validate if my business and model were viable enough.

How To Validate Your Idea With A Waitlist?

Don’t make the same mistakes I did back then; instead, try the following:

• Launch a waitlist once you’re 80% done with development or progress
• Regularly update your progress (weekly, bi-weekly) and start blogging about it
• Update your progress through socials, without overselling your product
• Offer early subscribers heavy discounts
• Try to convert them into early adopters or enthusiasts
• Reach out to a select group of enthusiasts who might become organic brand ambassadors

Don’t make the mistake that a big waitlist or a few sales are enough to validate your business.

It’s valid when you see revenue dripping in at a slow but steady pace. It’s valid when people organically start mentioning your business and buy a subscription.

Waitlists are tricky, and it’s about nailing that timing right.

Launch too early and you might lose a big chunk of your early signups. Launch too late, and it gets invalidated, or people move on to a similar tool that has shown effort with regular updates.

I don’t think it’s ever too late in anything, or on any platform. Even YouTube, regardless of your age and experience.

My observation is that people fear the missing out part, or think they missed the hype train.

I remember the same group asking the same question about YouTube 5-10 years ago.

The real answer, I believe, is: Just start, experiment, and find out.

If you don’t, there will always be a seed of doubt planted in your head if you never even tried.

The most successful content creators and influencers on YouTube I met had little to no experience when they started.

The difference between them and the ones who failed?

They were obsessed with their niche and industry, failed over and over again, until they knew when to pivot or when to persevere once they found a blue ocean market.

• It’s never too late to be successful
• Never compare yourself with others’ success
• Be aware that monetization can take a long time
• There’s competition in every niche, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be different
• Plan your YouTube journey, and avoid burnout
• Do proper research, but expect a few trials and errors
• Learn how to edit videos
• Study how the YouTube algorithm works

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6 Things To Remember When Starting Your YouTube Journey

• Strategy will matter. The spray and pray method is not going to work. Understand your niche and A/B test captions, titles, and thumbnails.
• Don’t worry about competition. The majority of creators are either inconsistent or quit within the first year.
• There are 66 million YouTubers in the world in 2025. Only a fraction earns enough to make a living. Consider your YouTube journey as additional income and experience should be considered as a reward.
• Capitalize on short-form content. YT Shorts gives new creators a much faster path to growth to reach their audience.
• Authenticity wins the game. Raw, honest content versus AI-driven fake content will always win. Even when your content isn’t polished enough, it doesn’t matter.
• Consistency will help you grow. Build a content schedule with daily or weekly uploads. That helps to build good habits, trust, and expectations with a returning audience.

Absolutely worth it. If you’re going to ignore blogging as a smaller creator or business, it’s the equivalent of lighting money on fire long-term.

I would never ignore blogging. Even though the way you acquire traffic has changed drastically, you can never discount SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Some of the major benefits are:

• Building authority
• Building trust and credibility in your industry or target audience
• Possibly reduce the cost of ad spend
• Increase conversion rate if you’re selling digital products or services
• Leverage your content, to promote it through Pinterest

I’ve seen plenty of people on Threads trying to sell digital products as a “digital marketer”, but they’re operating with an out-of-the-box solution like Stan or Beacons and fill the entire page with offers.

But that’s not going to cut it. They’re reselling products and replicating a copy of a copy from another store.

It’s hard for smaller creators or companies to stand out, let alone convince end-users to commit their credit card details to an unknown business.

Blogging helps to remove doubts and builds that trust.

When I was operating my SaaS business, we placed a lot of early-stage emphasis on blogging for those exact reasons.

Because blogging helped me to skyrocket my conversion rates, and I was able to balance organic search with paid marketing.

Kinsta Hosting

Kinsta web hosting is great at this. Their conversion and sales numbers go through the roof because they blog about WordPress, WordPress issues, and solutions nonstop.

Their knowledge is reflected in their customer service, which becomes a clear USP.

The entire story makes sense.

Their blog has written knowledge, then extended to customer service and live chat with real experts behind the screen. Because of that, they can offer top-notch hosting at a premium price.

Staying Relevant

Even if you were to eliminate trust or authenticity, the relevance factor remains.

Staying relevant as a small business can give you a competitive edge.

Too many startups, digital marketers on social media, and creators ignore blogging.

• They’re too lazy
• They don’t know the real value and impact
• They’re not confident in the industry, they’re trying to make sales

Don’t ignore blogging. It will yield results in months from inception, and you’re going to thank me later that you did.

It’s highly situational, but as a general guideline, I would recommend giving it at least 12 to 18 months of consistent efforts before giving up.

My observation is that most creators or solo entrepreneurs usually miss the cut before seeing significant changes or results.

Generally, there are two scenarios:

• Those who work full-time
• Those who quit their job and pursue the entrepreneurial dream

You could loosely say that those with a full-time job have no expiration date. But when it’s not panning out after 2-3 years, you should probably call it quits.

It could mean:

• You’re not fit or ready to start a business
• You might lack commercial and business acumen
• The product or service has no demand or navigates in a red ocean market

The ones who quit their job and go for the kill have 24 hours per day to work on their startup or business.

If you can’t find any traction, product market-fit, or clients within the first 18 months, then you have to take a step back and see what went wrong.

One of the most common mistakes beginners make is believing that their business isn’t ready yet.

They keep postponing the launch, and days become weeks, which leads to months of delay.

Stop Comparing Yourself With Others

Too many compare their insides with someone else’s outsides. 

That can influence your motivation, ability to function, and sow doubts in your mind.

When others in the same industry are moving faster than you, it doesn’t mean you’re failing. It could simply mean:

• They have different skills
• Might understand the current market better than you
• Work with a larger team, or have a bigger bankroll to fund their operations
• …

That list can be infinite, but it doesn’t mean you should tap out of the race.

Final Word

Starting any form of business requires discipline, grit, resilience, and a portion of luck. And it’s not meant for everyone.

But I think that’s also okay.

If you have the drive, motivation, and willpower to build a business, allow yourself at least those 12-18 months before considering a pivot or calling it quits.

In case there are clear signs of a pivot, you could consult with more experienced people who can validate your pivot and then make a final decision.