Working at a startup can sometimes feel like being the main character in an action movie; things are moving incredibly fast and you are on-edge pretty much 100% of the time. Of course, nothing compares to the thrill of building your own company but with all the craziness that goes on in a startup environment, it can be very easy to lose focus.

It is essential to keep moving forwards in an organised manner and not let yourself burn out, or worst of all lose control. Here are a number of tips that you could use to keep your head over the water and navigate across the madness.

1. Remember your original vision

With things moving so fast in a startup environment it is easy to find that your time-frame suddenly starts shrinking fast. Instead of thinking in terms of years, you will soon start visualising objectives in months, weeks and yes, even days. When time is a luxury, it is inevitable to measure the impact of what you do immediately, rather than wait long to see its effect.

While this makes sense and it most cases is useful, there is a huge risk of losing touch with the original reason you either started or joined a startup. It is imperative to have that original vision in mind, and to reconnect with it frequently. If you you suddenly find there is a big distortion between what you do and what you originally set out to do, take a step back and understand where the divergence originated.

2. Read, read, read

Amongst entrepreneurs a feeling that sometimes surfaces is one of loneliness. You feel it’s a “you against the world” situation that nobody can understand. Your friends and family don’t comprehend why you suddenly have no free time, and you quickly find yourself in a position not many people can relate to.

Don’t forget you are not alone. Many others have gone through this before you, and luckily there are some phenomenal books out there with advice and tips about both how to deal with startup anxiety and keep your focus. Here are some we recommend: (add a couple)

3. Stay aware of market trends around your startup

In a closed environment it is important to keep a careful watch on all the different trends that may affect your startup. Use Google Alerts and other tools with specific keywords for your industry space. You may not only catch wind of new interesting directions your startup could use, but also potential threats to be prepared for.

Unfortunately in these turbulent times, politics can also have a direct impact on the funding sentiment in the country you operate in, and events such as Brexit and elections can end up affecting your startup. It’s always useful to be on top of current events for caution.

4. Use tools to help you save time

There are a series of tools you can take advantage of to save you a ton of time and keep you in the right direction. Make your research and make sure you use them. These range from social media tools to manage your presence online such as Buffer and Hootsuite, to scheduling tools to manage your time.

We created CatchApp to help you squash the hours spent scheduling and planning every week to just a few minutes. With our App you will be able to organise personal meetings, set multiple 1-to-1’s and group meetings with a couple of taps. Take a look here and sign up for our waiting list for launch.

5. Accept there is a risk of failing and move on

It can be a heavy weight to carry on your shoulders to constantly work in a high-risk environment where the chances of failure are always present. The best thing to do, is to accept that failure is a possibility for the outset and to simply “move on”.

Take it as a right of passage. In order to enjoy the amazing experience of working in a young company, you have to be O.K. with the event of it not working out. Don’t let that fear hinder in any way how you work. Just deal with it and get rocking.

6. Embrace the speed and take advantage of it

Part of the thrill and excitement of joining a startup is how fast things move, and how, well “chaotic” things can be. New objectives flying through all the time, and a culture of rapid change, rapid reaction and rapid implementation.

Instead of feeling threatened by this and losing your focus, try to embrace the fast-paced culture and learn to have “quick-feet”. Rely on your instincts and gut feeling to make fast decisions and don’t stall endlessly.

7. Take some time every day to disconnect (literally)

We live in a hyperconnected world, that’s just a reality. And now more than ever you are required to be on call 24/7. Whether it’s email, whatsapp, social, or skype, one way or the other if your phone is nearby you will inevitably be lured into “work-mode”.

However, for the sake of your health, and to regain some perspective it’s important to save some time to completely disconnect from work. WIth startups, much more so than with other jobs, we have a tendency of taking work home no matter the circumstances. Try setting aside some time without your phone or computer to do other stuff you enjoy!