THE RED QUEEN EFFECT - MENTAL MODEL: WORK SMARTER, NOT FASTER

Summary from the TLDR Founders newsletter

The Red Queen told Alice she must run twice as fast just to get anywhere because in Wonderland, running at full speed only keeps you in the same place. This perfectly describes startups that chase every AI update and framework just to avoid falling behind. Teams exhaust themselves implementing every new tool while competitors do the same, so nobody actually pulls ahead. We're so busy keeping up that we forget to ask if we're running in the right direction. Three questions cut through the panic: Are you making real progress or just matching competitors? Why are you moving in this direction? What would actually happen if you paused?