How to Gain Traction? (a little more literally than I usually mean)

[jducoeur]

A garage startup is an interesting game, and in some ways I'm finding myself conforming to the stereotype -- in particular, I *am* often working in my bathrobe in the mornings. (The downside of this, of course, is that I'm working 8am - 7pm most days: you don't succeed in this game unless you're willing to completely commit. After I finish posting this, it's back to studying Akka.)

But I'm not here to talk about business today. Instead, let's talk about footwear.

As we head into the colder months, I'm finding myself with a dilemma about what to do with my feet. It's getting too cold to leave them bare. But our house is three floors of immaculately-kept wood flooring, and going around sock-foot always feels dangerously slippery as I run up and down stairs -- bedroom slippers even moreso. (And we're a no-shoes house.)

Today, I've resorted to yoga socks:

Yes, they have little toes. More importantly, though, they are polka-dotted with tiny rubber studs. They're remarkably effective -- I think they actually provide more secure footing than my shoes do on these floors.

But they are *crazy* expensive (most of $10/pair), and fairly thin -- as we reach real winter, I'm going to want something warmer. So I'm asking myself whether it would be possible to get a pair of real bedroom slippers and do something similar to their soles, or something like that.

So what the heck, let's toss it out for ideas. How would you solve this? Do you already have a favorite solution that gets you warm feet and good indoor traction?

Comments

[umbran.livejournal.com]

Long term, it matters. Your plan is to have this be large enough that others will be working on it eventually, right? So, even if you don't have formal offices, that means you'll be interface with others. Eventually, there will be phone calls that will end up needing to be scheduled, rather than ad hoc, and meetings (*gasp!* - on G+ hangouts, conference calls, or whatever).

As soon as you have to start fixing parts of your schedule to other people, the formalism matters - otherwise, you find yourself at 3:30 PM, kinda musty, still in the bathrobe, and you're still supposed to do the dishes and catch a shower before going out to dinner. And you want to be in the habit *before* you start needing it.

[dragonazure.livejournal.com]

Ditto. On the rare occasion I find myself working from home, I make an effort to maintain the daily routines of preparing as if I were going to work at the office. It is partially psychological--to get me in the mindset of "Oh, I am at work now". Not everyone needs that crutch, but keeping in the habit will help out in the long run.

[jducoeur]

Actually, not so much. Remember -- been there, done that. I've been in the startup scene for much of my life since I was 15, and I really do understand how this works *much* better than most. And one of the things I trained myself on a long time ago is the mental disciplines of starting work, which matter a lot more than the rituals.

Indeed, if anything I'm tending to start both sharper and faster than I usually do in office life, since I'm not distracted by the commute. The still-musty really isn't an issue, and I'm practiced at being in the state I need to be in, when I need to be in it.

The advice is appreciated, but please do remember that I have more experience in this arena than just about anybody else I know. I moved past the usual beginner's problems a long, long time ago.

(Which isn't to say there aren't dangers and risks for me. This just isn't one of them -- workaholism is a *much* more serious concern...)