Efficiency Is An Excuse To Not Do The Actual Work
This was originally published in my free weekly newsletter, How It Actually Works.
If you’re trying to do something efficiently you’re probably stalling.
Pre mature optimization is the root of all evil for engineers, but it’s also an excuse that prevents progress in personal goals.2
Looking for efficiency in daily life is similar to seeking “the best way” of doing something.
And it’s insidious because the logic isn’t all that bad…
“If I’m going to try and lose weight, I might as well do it in the best and most efficient way possible, right?”
Wrong!
You need momentum. You need progress. You need forward movement happening right now.
The importance of morale is vastly underestimated.
”I want to lose weight, what are the best exercises to do?”
Get down RIGHT THIS SECOND and start doing push ups. Go for a run in whatever clothes you already own.
”I want to start a SaaS business, what stack should I use?”
Pick up the phone and call 10 potential customers to see if they want the thing.
”There might be a parking space closer to the entrance, I’ll keep looking”
There’s tons of parking 50 feet back, pick a spot and just walk.
”I want to sell an online course. What’s the best way to make a website?”
Send 5 emails right now to the first 5 people you can think of who might need this. Do not write templates – bang out the email and hit send. If they actually need the product they won’t care about typos.
”I want to be a photographer, I wonder what gear I should buy.”
Use your iPhone.
So much "work" is merely distracting ourselves from the reality: we have no customers, we don't know what people want, we don't have a sales channel, and on and on.
- Trevor
The Links
Virginia Coach Interview after Being the First Ever #1 Seed to Lose in March Madness (1 minute twitter video)
A true class act & example of leadership. You won’t see a lot of sports here so you know this is worth it.
How To Get Rich (book)
It’s refreshing to hear someone say “I wanted to get rich” and then tell you how they did it.
How to Communicate in Groups
From Facebook’s VP of AR/VR. Skip the 4 opening paragraphs & jump to the bullet points.
How to Tell When Someone’s Speech is Meaningless
I could’ve also titled this “how to recognize almost all political speech.”
If the reversal of someone’s statement sounds weird, and they don’t give any specifics, they probably aren’t saying anything that carries new information.
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