Rant: I kept asking 'what's the best way to do X' until a friend pointed out the real problem

For years, I'd post questions online like 'what's the best way to learn guitar' or 'best way to fix a leaky faucet'. Last Tuesday, my buddy Mark looked at my phone and said, 'You're asking for a map before you even know what city you're in.' That hit me. I was searching for one perfect answer when I should have been asking more specific, smaller questions first. How do you guys break down a big, vague question into something you can actually get help with?

3 comments

3 Comments

black.val20d ago

My cousin wasted months asking for the perfect workout before just trying pushups.

the_tessa20d ago

Wait, your cousin spent months just asking about workouts? That's wild to me because the best plan is the one you actually start, like @black.val said. You learn what works by doing the thing, not by planning forever.

oscar_ellis20d ago

Yeah, I read something about that called "premature optimization." Basically you're trying to find the perfect way to do something before you even know what you're doing. Start with the dumbest, easiest question you have.