Seun Oyewole is a 2014 Fellow working as a Venture Development Analyst at Invest Detroit, a community development financial institution. Seun got his degree in Foreign Service with a specialization in Regional & Comparative Studies between America and the Middle East at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Studies. Seun helped lead a session on the art of “Grinding and Hustling” for a group of 2015-ers at this year’s Training Camp.
At this point in our lives, we understand that lifestyle transitions are inevitable as we take on the task of growing up. Sometimes these transitions are expected, and other times they emerge without anticipation; yet, it is up to that person to adjust their habits, buckle down and strive for success.
Like any life transition, it will be tough – you are moving into a new environment that will serve as your scene to live, work and play in. Although this next episode is a bit daunting, there are key tools & strategies that will help maintain your ability to grind at work & hustle on your personal goals.
Time Management
The day often moves quickly when working in a fast-paced, whimsical startup setting. I have found success in my daily productivity by partitioning my workday into time periods that are allocated to the different projects that I may be working on. It is one thing to setup this calendar of time-blocks, but it is another thing to keep your nose down & put the pedal to the metal.
There are a range of tools that reduce the time you would have normally spent on thankless tasks: Spokeo is a reverse email search engine that assists in identifying a person’s digital mailbox. Boomerang is a Chrome extension that allows Gmail users to send scheduled emails for group outreach and delicate communications.
Remain Informed
With the near-seamless access to information we have in our generation, it is expected that you are knowledgeable on some topic or sector. I am an avid fan of curated news-digests like Mike Allen’s Playbook or Mattermark Daily as they address subjects and industries that I keep up with.
For more personal news curation, you can use Backstit.ch to select topics of interest, and the platform will search for articles across publications, RSS feeds and social media platforms and then synthesize them through a minimalist display.
Your Network is Your Net Worth
No need for clarification on this age-old adage. Developing & maintaining new relationships can be a matter of dropping a note to someone every few months. Since my graduation, I have kept a spreadsheet of my contacts ranging from DC to NYC to Doha that details the last time we spoke and what the discussion was on. It helps me remain up-to-date with my network.
Rapportive has also been an extremely helpful tool for me to do initial research on new connections that I have been digitally introduced to. This Chrome extension displays an email contact’s LinkedIn profile while you are working in Gmail.
Similar to many SaaS companies, grinding & hustling is scalable. A diligent fellow is expected to propel their company’s trajectory while enhancing their productivity and time optimization. As important as it is to assist in your start-up’s progression, it is just as crucial for the diligent fellow to build their social capital in their new environment, and develop a brand for themself. Cliché or not, it has to be understood that there is levels to this sh*t and you are doing yourself a tremendous service if you begin to develop strategies that make you more efficient.