John Pagley

Co-Founder at Joyfill · Sharing lessons, wins, and my founder journey along the way

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

A surprisingly relevant piece of decision-making advice from my favorite Book:

“Without counsel, plans fail.” — Proverbs 20:18

Business lesson:
Wise leaders seek perspective.
Inviting feedback early prevents costly mistakes later.

Surround yourself with people greater and wiser than you are. Then let them rub off on you.

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

@orcdev Love this video style 👌

Great vid for OSS builders!

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

@paw_lean @orcdev Two legends 💪

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

Delegation has been one of the biggest personal struggles in my business.

I know I can't be alone.

Why is it so hard to trust others with your precious tasks…

And why is it so hard to do even when we know it is slowing progression…

Is it the perfection in me, in us?

I started a business to go places. And did it, knowing it would take an army. People smarter and faster than me.

Yet, 8 years later, I still push many tasks that I did in year 1.

I was deeply pondering on this the other day during the quietness of my early morning.

Why has delegation become such a challenge when the relief of these tasks would lead to such promising improvement and progressions and focus..?

Here's what I'm learning: delegation isn't about letting go of the work. It's about letting go of the belief that no one can do it like me.

This week, hand off one task you've outgrown. Their 80% frees you to build what only you can. 🚀

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

So much meaning in just a few words 👌

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

I learned one thing from college.

Well, I learned this during my years at college.*

There is music that beats to the rhythm of your brain....

It’s the genre most aligned with how the brain maintains prolonged attention.

Ambient electronic music (no vocals) is the best for focus, deep work, and cognitive endurance.

Your brain performs best in deep work when stimulation is:
- present but non-demanding
- predictable but not monotonous
- emotionally neutral
- continuous

This consistently hits the best balance between:
- preventing boredom
- avoiding distraction
- sustaining mental energy
- supporting flow state

For your next deep project, fire up my @spotify and bang away.

Back to building

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

@venkatofl Super clean 👌

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

Harder than it seems, but designing your life by choice, not chance, is game-changing.

Most people drift through their days reacting to messages, meetings, or others’ priorities.

Act with intention. Design your life around what matters most.

Every yes, every minute, every project is a conscious choice.

This isn’t your cliche minimalism. So forgive me if it sounds like that.

When you design your days with purpose, you stop reacting and start leading.

Because success isn’t about doing more things — it’s about doing the right things exceptionally well.

Your life is your responsibility. Design it accordingly.

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

@vanshdevx A

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

I was encouraging a fellow founder who was going through a tough season. Shocker, I know..

But he said to me, “this is not what I signed up for”.

I've had similar feelings in the early days. Still do sometimes.

After a rodeo or two under my belt, I had some tough love advice.

I told him:
founderhood is like signing a blank piece of paper that is being written every day.

you didn't sign up for the story. You signed up to write it.

pick up the pen or you will spend the rest of your life reading someone else's story.

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

@anujcodes_21 Huge value here. Thanks Anuj!

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

@shadcn And you are the legend behind it all 💪😉

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

@anujcodes_21 Super valuable. Thank you!!🙏

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

@orcdev Congrats! Rooting for you 💪

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

No system fixes poor priorities.

High performers win because they decide what matters and eliminate the rest.

Everything else is productivity theater.

“You don’t find time for what matters. You make time for what matters.”– Jordan Raynor

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

This simple principle has guided my approach to work more than most "#hustle" frameworks:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart.” — Colossians 3:23

Hidden lesson:
Excellence isn’t situational—it’s habitual.
Quality work builds a reputation long before recognition shows up. 😉

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

One idea that hit me hard was from the wise Jordan Raynor: “Success is found in faithful obedience, not in achieving a specific outcome.”

It took the pressure off trying to force results.

My job is to show up with courage and craftsmanship every day, and let the outcomes follow.

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

Record yourself for an entire workday. It's one of the biggest productivity hacks.

I've been doing this for years now...

Recording yourself for the day in time-lapse mode on your phone, then playing it back at the end of the day in 30-60 seconds, is one of the best ways to self-evaluate your productivity.

This creates the "someone is watching" mentality. 👌

When watching it back, you will either feel proud or disappointed in how you spent your precious hours.

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

I found myself wasting time working on the wrong things...

I was asking myself daily:
Am I actually using my precious time wisely? (do I know that I should be working on)
Am I applying effort in the places? (that moves me closer to the goal)
Am I doing things that maximize my impact? (to get to the goal quicker)

If you want to ensure you don't waste your days, months, 2026, or life for that matter, read my all-time favorite books on this topic:

- Essentialism - Greg McKeown
- Redeeming Your Time - by Jordan Raynor
- Buy Back Your Time - by Dan Martell
- The ONE Thing - by Gary Keller

[John Pagley @johnpagley]

If only building a company were linear…

If only my day looked like:
Do this first
Do this second
Do this third
…and you’ll succeed.

But it never works that way.

Most days, I’m putting out fires—handling support tickets and keeping things from breaking. Necessary work, but it’s maintenance… not momentum.

And I’ve learned this the hard way:

The highest leverage use of a founder’s time is working on what actually moves the needle.

Not everything urgent is important.

That’s why delegation has become one of my most critical responsibilities.

Not just to free up time—but to protect focus for the work that truly drives the business forward.