+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

INSTANT MBA: Focus On The Problem That Keeps Nagging At You

May 24, 2013, 01:36 IST

Today's advice comes from Evan Williams, co-founder of Blogger, Twitter, and Medium, via Inc.:

Advertisement

"When I meet with the founders of a new company, my advice is almost always, 'Do fewer things.' It's true of partnerships, marketing opportunities, anything that's taking up your time. The vast majority of things are distractions, and very few really matter to your success. Anything I've done that really worked happened because, either by sheer will or a lack of options, I was incredibly focused on one problem."

Williams uses the company he co-founded, Twitter, as an example. What initially started as a side project became its very own tweeting ecosystem when he and his team decided to focus on making Twitter into an information system instead of a social network.

"When you're obsessing about one thing, you can reach insights about how to solve hard problems. If you have too many things to think about, you'll get to the superficial solution, not the brilliant one...To me, that comes down to the gut. The things that keep nagging at you are the ones worth exploring."

Want your business advice featured in Instant MBA? Submit your tips to tipoftheday@businessinsider.com. Be sure to include your name, your job title, and a photo of yourself in your email.
You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article