Founder's Mindset Checklist

• Sleep — 7 hours minimum
• Movement — 30 minutes minimum
• Ninety minutes of deep focused work before email
• Honest conversation with a human being outside the business every single day

These are not nice-to-haves — they're the operating conditions of your decision quality. Every skipped protocol compounds into a worse call three weeks later. You can't out-hustle biology.

• One full day off, phone in another room
• One long walk to think, no podcast, no music
• One conversation with someone who's five years ahead of you
• One conversation with someone five years behind you
• Plan the next week before Monday morning

Review the week's wins and losses on paper, not in your head. Without rhythm, every week feels like the same emergency.

• Say no to coffee chats that aren't real

Name the people who get unlimited access to you, and the ones who don't. Don't take every call 'just to be polite'. Protect your partner, your family, your health with the same ferocity you protect your runway. The founders who last 10 years don't just love the business — they refuse to let it eat them.