Those who talk don’t know,
Those who know don’t talk
- Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
Much digital and physical ink has been spilt about the importance of iterating products. Start small, test the hypothesis, review, learn, and then take the next small step. In the world of tech startups and beyond, this has become a lingua franca - everyone’s iterating, everyone’s lean, everyone’s agile.
As always, the difference between theory and practice is stark.
I’m as guilty of this as anyone. Indeed, it was only after the fact of moving to daily emails that I realised how ‘waterfall’ I was being with my writing.
My process looked like this: have a big idea. Spend time researching, gathering evidence, considering all the angles. Write a draft. Sometimes give up halfway through. Other times, rewrite it. Go through and check all the relevant links and footnotes. Tweak the language.
Finally, I’m ready to publish. I hit the button, then check anxiously as I watch the open rate (slowly) climb. Recover for a week or two before going through it all again.
Now?
I’m writing every day. Usually, it takes no longer than 20 minutes. Often I don’t know what it is I’m writing until I sit down at my laptop.
Perhaps you can tell.
Of course, not everything works. Not everything lands. Sometimes, I get stuff wrong that a bit more time would have prevented, others I don’t go as deep as I might like to.
But the practice is consistent. I turn up everyday and do it. The results I can’t control, but they matter less and less to me. I write everyday to provide value to folks in whatever small way I can, and trust that the rest will take care of itself.
What engineering and product practices do you adhere to? What are you committed to regardless of the outcome? How can you tune out the noise and focus on delivering value, even when you can’t guarantee it will result in more engagement/users/profit/investment?
Because the truth is, there is no guarantee. It’s only the practice that endures.
I had a little laugh at the 'take two weeks to recover' - how many areas of life are we subject to this all or nothing experience in our nervous system? Where we need time to recover from the way we choose to live. Small, slow, steady - no, it's not hustle culture, no you won't get the great highs and great lows, but that small buzz of creativity, inspiration, and love, well... there's no match for it.