Ever since I started working on Ingenuity, I’ve been spending almost all my time thinking about it. I visualize features and flows that I can’t implement right now, or even in the coming months. I imagine scenarios in which my app sells and the ones in which it fails. Then I spiral down to find the reasons for each case. I want to do it right and am trying hard find any gaps in my thinking, anything I’m missing that might cause trouble later.

Now that, just that, is the problem. I am trying to learn everything in advance. Before stepping into the water, I am trying to learn to swim. A fool’s errand.

I guarantee you that I’m not alone. Many people fall in this trap, especially when learning something new. Afterall there’s a playbook for everything these days. Writing a novel? Read “Save the Cat!”. Making a product? Don’t even start without reading “The Mom Test”.

Internet has made this obscure knowledge accessible. But no matter how much knowledge you accumulate, you cannot prevent failure, points of obstruction, the grunt work. You cannot optimize. You cannot pave a clean path for yourself, cause these hurdles and deflections are the path.

When things go wrong, when they don’t work out according to you, that’s when you learn the lessons. They might be the same lessons as from the book. But first hand experience embodies the idea in your body. Now you know what it actually means, something which mere words can’t teach.

And there will be a few lessons that weren’t quite mentioned in the book. Some might even contradict from what’s written in there. These are the things you learn when you’re too far ahead, too deep down. Not many people reach there because they were careful to follow the instructions.

So feel free to ignore all advice and skip all theory. Cause it won’t save you from trouble. At best, it tells you that trouble will come. And when it does, you’ll have to figure your own way out. Good luck with that.

🤔 Makes me wonder

I read a lovely poem on phone and social media addiction.

So one thing that I’ve realized lately is that I am bound to approach Ingenuity naively. I cannot strategize because I don’t know what I’m doing. I just gotta do what feels right, make mistakes, and figure things out along the way.

Another intense Sunday! Hoping for a more relaxed one next week.

Good night,
Aachman