The Power of Background Tasks

When we talk about productivity, we often think in terms of big goals, deep focus, and getting things done. But there's another layer—quiet, consistent, often overlooked—that creates leverage over time:

Background tasks.

What are background tasks?

I believe all work happens in two modes: Main tasks and background tasks.

Main tasks are your core focus. The things tied to your current projects. They need full attention. You usually have just a few of these. If you're brave (and lucky), you might even have just one.

Background tasks are different. They don't demand urgency. They don't have deadlines. But they expand your future. They're the quiet seeds you plant that pay off in unexpected ways.

Why background tasks matter

• They open side doors to new opportunities.
• They help you compound knowledge and relationships.
• They create readiness for the next big thing—even if you don't know what that is yet.
• They're a form of delayed gratification that builds future leverage.

What do background tasks look like?

It depends on your craft.

For developers:

• Tinkering with new tech
• Reading AI research
• Building open source tools or side projects

For designers:

• Reverse-engineering great app UIs
• Exploring visual styles and aesthetics
• Hanging out in design Slack/Discord groups and chatting with others

For growth marketers:

• Deconstructing landing pages
• Running a small newsletter to test growth loops
• Chatting with marketers in similar spaces

For founders:

• Writing and sharing online regularly
• DM'ing other founders just to say hey
• Building authentic relationships with VCs, especially when you're not raising

A little goes a long way

These tasks don't require much. 3 hours a week is enough. But if you build small systems around them— you'll be doing 6 to 10 hours of value creation in just 2.

Not everything needs to be urgent to be useful. Some of the most powerful work happens quietly, in the background.