Leverage Notes #13: Pacing Yourself in a High-Agency, High-Trust Startup

In a fast paced world of podcasts, videos, and social media, readings give you time with the thoughts of someone who took their time and wrestled with their ideas. This is a grounding force when the world is consistently shifting in terms of the If you’ve ever worked at a startup where people trust you deeply and give you real ownership, you know what happens next:

You sprint. You stay up late. You take the ball and run with it even if the exact goalposts haven’t been set. You deliver quick until you're forced to slow down. The danger of high trust is overcompensating.

It's easy to not want to let anyone down because finally you’re trusted, needed and delivering. You start thinking:

“If I drop the ball, it’s all on me.”

“If I slow down, maybe I didn’t deserve this level of ownership.”

“If I’m not producing constantly, I’m wasting the opportunity.”

But working at a startup doesn't mean that you need to be in war mode all the time. If you burn out quietly while doing your best work, no one wins.

Pacing Moves That Build Leverage

1. Use your agency to create boundaries

The highest-leverage know when to say “this matters, this doesn’t, this can wait.”

1. Document while you build.

In the meum to long term, it pays to have projects that others can take over. Otherwise, you'll be irreplaceable in your role and not be promotable.

1. Protect your long game

Do what you can to maintain your energy levels. Use your time off. On the flip side, invest in new skills and maintain mastery of your domain.

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