The first thing everyone wants to do when the idea goes sideways is to change. Do something different. Throw it all out. Start over. Give up. The moment those thoughts enter your mind, that is the first test of the idea’s strength, can it stand the test of being kicked, can it get knocked down and stand back up again, can it rise up. Don’t stop at the first sign of distress, this is the…
The simplicity of this statement is that you are trying to do something and figure out what went wrong. try { // Try to do something } catch { // What went wrong? } The part not listed is the finally clause, which sometimes I think should be called “Again” as in – try again, don’t give up – don’t stop. It’s like the teacher saying “Again. Again. Again” – until you have it right.
I’ve been fixing a deck over the last few weekends (I’ve done this a few times), and it always makes me appreciate how all the little pieces can make the greater whole that much stronger bit by bit. Taped joists. Painting End cuts Using the right screws where (and brackets) Knowing how to double-up joists. Adjusting a few degrees for a nice drainage slant. All these things, not necessarily required, you’ll still get a deck…
Checklists are great, I use them infinitely all over the place. But where they fail (and fail me) is the reorganization of said lists based on priority changes, based on workload changes, based on what I’m doing changes. This is where AI could do something useful to help out – reorganize a checklist against what I already have going on in my life. Adjust, refine, redistribute – until then, I’ll keep doing it myself.
A proposed idea is easy to turn down. There hasn’t been any investment, there’s been no plus or minus, there’s no loss if you do nothing. Investing in an idea is where commitment starts to happen, even though doubts still linger – will it work?, can it work?, do they really want it?, is it worth it? what else could I be doing with my time? All those doubts start to permeate the shell of…