What is Differentiation Focus Strategy?

What's the best strategy to focus on two major projects over time?  (Eg, how do you build 2 startups?)

• It's accepted wisdom that if you are trying to build something intensive from scratch like a startup, it's better to be able to concentrate all of your energy on it-- most startup founders are heads down in their company, working 18 hrs a day, etc.  They work hard and the singular focus causes all the work to contribute to building momentum in the same place. What if you _must_ focus on two major projects at the same time?  Imagine you are committed to two startups, or your own company and the one you are helping an employer build, or school and a nonprofit, or something in this vein.  (The important part is that both require both continual proactive initiative and creativity on your part, so you can't just plow through one like a "day job".) I realize that accepted wisdom usually says Don't Do That, but what if for whatever reason it's not an option?  What is the best approach to commitment, attention, and labor to optimize for maximum productivity for both?  I think that if you work hard on one thing, you can get a certain amount of progress (or fail), but you cannot work half as hard on each of two things and for half as much progress.  So what are some strategies to optimize, or narratives of what you're doing to help you keep it together?

• Answer:

  I would suggest: 1) Segment your time, trying different alternatives until you find one that works best for you. For example: Set certain hours for certain duties, like managing or administrating Set certain days for each, Project A or Project B Dedicate early morning or late night hours to creative tasks without interference from others 2) Delegate as much as you can get away with, especially tasks that are not dependent on your personal expertise. What that means depends on your role in each project, but this may include: Administrative tasks Client-facing tasks Human resources tasks