We tend to judge early versions of work too harshly due to skepticism. This causes us to fail to push through the ugly early work of ambitious projects (or not try at all). By having a better understanding of what early work looks like we can push past skepticism from ourselves and those around us.
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Obstinance Is a Boat Whose Rudders Can’t Be Turned
I really like the way Paul Graham characterizes the difference between persistence and obstinance in his essay The Right Kind of Stubborn. Persistence is like a boat that can’t throttle back—it keeps going and gets around obstacles in it’s path at great speed. Obstinance however, is like a boat whose rudders can’t be turned so it keeps going and doesn’t change course despite obstacles i it’s path.
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Smart People Don’t Like Taking Chances
Smart people don’t like taking chances because they are afraid of being wrong.
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Do the Hard Work, but Remove the Struggle
I tend to work hard and take my work seriously. When things aren’t working exactly as planned, I take it personally. When the work is difficult I internalize it and it becomes more difficult.
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Using demos as a way of focusing on specific functionality and elevating quality. Presenting your work builds in accountability and reviewing demos provides feedback. Over time, this practice calibrates people around a set of product principles and shared context.