Idea Testing, Perfect Week, Inbox Gone

Well that was cool. Thank you all again for following along. Last week 83% of you opened the email and tons of you clicked the links, so I hope there was some value there. This week may be a little longer than usual. I want to see what you are most interested in.

As I promised, I’m trying to provide value if you’re starting a business or just living a more balanced life. Here’s a tip from each of the 3 playbooks I want to work from. Please let me know at the end which one you want to see more of!

Startup Playbook Tip:

Test Your Idea. Starting a brand or even launching a product is tough, costly, and comes with a lot of risks. A huge chunk of startups fail. So, how do you figure out if your idea's got legs before you dive in? Sure, you could ask friends and family, but let's be real—they're going to cheer you on no matter what. And yeah, throwing up a landing page and running Facebook ads might show there's interest, but that's just scratching the surface.

Here's the thing: I've got a cheat sheet that cuts through the fluff and helps score your idea before you go all in. It's about getting down to the brass tacks and really challenging your concept beyond just "will people buy it?" This isn't about endless metrics or overthinking every little detail. It's about smart, straightforward questions that push you to look at your idea from all angles—market fit, competition, the real value you're offering, and, crucially, how it's going to make money.

No tool or checklist can guarantee success, but this cheat sheet? It's about giving your idea a fighting chance and dodging the most obvious failure points. So, before you pour your heart, time, and savings into your brand, take a minute. Use the cheat sheet to test the waters. It's a straightforward, no-BS approach to figuring out if you're on to something or just about to join the startup graveyard.

Get it here: New Idea Cheat Sheet (make a copy and test it out)

Founder Playbook Tip:

Design your Perfect Week. After burning out, I stumbled onto something pretty life-changing: the idea of the "Perfect Week." Honestly, it's not about nailing every detail but about setting intentions. It's mixing the grind with the good stuff—like going for a run or grabbing lunch with my wife—that makes us whole. You start by figuring out what really matters to you, both in work and play, and then you sketch out a week that feels right. This isn't about sticking to a rigid plan but about creating a vibe for your life that's as much about success as it is about being happy and healthy. From someone who's worked myself to true burnout, trust me, making this shift isn't just nice, it's a life changing.

Step 1: Brutally Honest Review & Goal Setting

• Audit your current week: Look back and be brutally honest. What’s sucking up your time without giving back value? Set a time tracker and audit what you do every hour for a week.

• Set solid goals: Think about what you want to nail both in your work and personal life. Make these goals ambitious but not unrealistic.

Step 2: Cut the Fat, Keep the Meat

• Prioritize like a boss: List everything you do, then slash anything that doesn’t directly contribute to your goals. Be ruthless.

• Choose impact over activity: Doing more isn’t the same as achieving more. Focus on tasks with the biggest payoff.

Step 3: Time Blocking Mastery

• Map out your week: Design your ideal week with all the key blocks for: Health - Friends - Team Meetings - Projects - Relationships - etc... These blocks are sacred.

• Batch like tasks: Group similar activities together to reduce context switching. It’s about entering a “flow state” more easily and often.

Step 4: Delegate, Automate, Eliminate

• Delegate without guilt: If someone else can do it 80% as well as you, let them. Your time is better spent elsewhere.

• Automate the repetitive: Use every tool at your disposal to handle repeat tasks. If you’re doing the same thing daily, there’s probably an app for that.

• Eliminate time-sinks: Some things just aren’t worth it. Be honest about what these are and cut them out.

Step 5: Non-Negotiable Me Time

• Lock in downtime: Schedule time for hobbies, workouts, and relaxation like they’re critical meetings. Because they are.

• Treat rest as sacred: Good sleep isn’t a luxury; it’s essential. Make sure you’re getting enough of it to stay sharp and creative.

Step 6: Weekly Reflection for Continuous Improvement

• Weekly reviews are a must: Sit down at the end of each week and assess. What felt great? What drained you? Learn and adapt.

• Iterate relentlessly: No plan survives contact with reality untouched. Be ready to pivot and tweak your approach regularly.

Step 7: Embrace Flexibility & Forgiveness

• Build in buffer time: Things will go sideways. Accept it and plan for it with extra time slots.

• Forgive yourself: Some weeks will be off. Don’t beat yourself up. Reflect, learn, and move on.

Pro Tips:

• I use Sunsama for this. It’s a task list and a calendar planning tool all in one. It’s amazing and helps your plan your week perfectly. I block time for everything and then follow it as closely as possible.

• Say no with confidence: Every yes is a no to something else. Be selective about what you commit to.

• This approach has truly changed my life. Book it. Stick to it. Enjoy it. Make your life what you want it to be.

Automation Playbook Tip

Get Out Of Your Email. I look at my email twice a day for 10 minutes each time. FULL STOP. Want to stop wasting your time? I have the perfect solution for you. You’ll need an assistant, but I cannot recommend hiring an executive assistant in the Philippines enough (want help? shoot me an email). Want to know how you manage your inbox to inbox zero? YOU DON’T. Here’s how you make it work:

Here’s a bit from my Executive Assistant Playbook (hire an assistant!):

Purpose: The goal of processing my email inbox is so that I have a clear understanding of which messages require my attention. Secondly, so that the senders get a responsive reply when it doesn’t require my attention (ex: scheduling meetings). Finally, to reduce the amount of time the I spend on emails and be able to guard my time accordingly. This is done twice a day.

Expectations and Guidelines

Inbox Expectations

• Initial email response - 1 day

• Email resolution - 2 day(s)

Assistant’s Inbox Expectations

• Initial email response - 1 day

• Email resolution - 2 day(s)

• Online order - 1 day(s)

How to Process Will’s Inbox

• You (executive assistant) will completely own the Inbox.

• I will check the designated folder for things he/she absolutely must review 1-2 time per day. 

• You will need to create folders as seen in the diagram below. 

• Twice per day you will filter the inboxes placing emails into the correct folders. 

• You will respond to as many emails as possible. Ideally as we get better, you will not need any help from me.

• If you have questions, we will review them in our weekly meeting.

• If we need to have more than one meeting per week to start, that is ok as well. 

How to Handle Unique Email Situations

• Unique email situations and questions will inevitably arise. These should be addressed in our calls.

• Please come with 3 potential solutions to each. 

Rule for Keeping Inbox Clean

• Get through all emails every day. 

• Unsubscribe to as many emails as possible. 

• Remember, I will only be checking this once or twice per day for 10 minutes. The emails in the Review folder needs to be very very minimal. 

• Newsletters should only be the newsletters that Will actually wants to read. Please work with Will to unsubscribe from as many as you can. 

• Responded means you have already responded.

• To Respond means that you are in the process of responding.

• Receipts are for purchases. 

• Will should be personal stuff.

• This should be very simple. 

Use this! Copy and paste this. This saves me 2-3 hours a day. This is my biggest hack and I am giving it to you for free!

Quick Ask

Thanks

Thank you for being here! If you need more help, shoot me an email! Also, if you have any feedback, please please respond. Also, if you found it valuable, please share it with someone! Thanks for following along! Let’s do this together!

Will Watters