Productivity

Most of us think in straight lines. One step, then another. One plus one equals two. But here’s the problem… Life doesn’t always work that way. Why We Underestimate Exponential Growth Our brains aren’t wired to spot exponential patterns. We see slow, steady beginnings and shrug them off. Then it takes off - and suddenly we’re shocked at how fast things changed. Think about viral videos. One person shares a clip with ten friends. Each of those ten shares it with ten more - now it’s a hundred. Pretty soon, millions are watching. ...

Coming up with a partial solution can be a great way to breakdown a complex problem. Sometimes the partial solution becomes part of your final solution. Sometimes a partial solution helps you explore the more complex problem so that you can apply other problem-solving strategies. Sometimes the partial solution is enough. The original problem still exists, but now you can live with it. A partial solution is usually better than no solution. ...

To breakdown a complex problem, you can try solving an extreme example of the problem. The solution for the extreme case will likely be part of your final solution. It will also help to set the bounds of your final solution. So find some aspect of your complex problem that’s bugging you and getting in your way. Solve it. If you want to push this strategy further, exaggerate that aspect of the problem. ...

Solving a concrete example of your problem helps you to explore the problem and breakdown a complex problem. This strategy will often get you much closer to the more general solution. Try out a few concrete examples to see if there’s a pattern in the solutions. If you see a pattern, that’s perfect! If there’s no clear pattern, that works, too. You’ve learned a ton about the problem. See also Breakdown the problem

When you’re having trouble breaking down a complex problem, coming up with an incorrect solution can help. So start with a solution that you know is incorrect. Now… How would you correct the solution? Correcting the incorrect solution is a new problem, and that’s exactly what you want! See also Breakdown the problem

Solving a simpler problem gets you closer to what your world looks like if your problem was solved. Solving the simpler problem either tells you more about the original problem, or helps you break it down by presenting you with a new problem. See also Breakdown the problem

If you’re having trouble breaking down a problem into solvable chunks, here are 5 ways to get you unblocked: Solve a simpler problem. Come up with a solution that’s incorrect. Solve a concrete example of the problem. Solve an extreme example of the problem. Come up with a partial solution. See also Deliver weekly chunks

Okay, so that’s incremental value. You might be wondering… Why every week? Taking control and delivering incremental value every week is one of the single most effective ways to focus your work on your project. If you can figure out how to deliver a thing of value every week on the project you’re working on, you can pretty much tackle anything. It sounds simple, but to be honest, it’s also really difficult. ...

Delivering incremental value is the secret to supercharging your results. Not only do people benefit from seeing the thing being delivered incrementally, you can also learn whether you’re heading in the right direction before investing too much. In the world of software development, incremental value doesn’t have to be a commit (although that’s probably the best kind of value). It could be a demo-able prototype, a plan, documenting something, etc. ...

A simple, repeatable system for doing great work on your team is to: Take a problem on your team. Work on it. Make it go away for your team. Ask for another problem. Then repeat steps 1-4. I think this is a great system. It’s super simple, but simple doesn’t mean easy. It’s made more difficult because there’s a thing missing… How do you do those steps within the context of the problems and projects you work on? ...