An incomplete list of things I have learnt so far. It’s a personal list that has helped me make better decisions.
- Play to your strengths
Be known for something, have a clear reason why you should be included in a conversation. - Do the obvious thing first
Planning too far ahead without getting feedback is little more than daydreaming and hoping everything falls in place. Eisenhower nailed it when he said, “…plans are useless, but planning is indispensable”. Start with the most straight forward version of what you are building and learn early. - Building something is worth a thousand ideas
Make a decision and move on. Remove anything that’s getting in the way of you taking action. - Package it up and share early
There are a thousand reasons not to, but putting something with limited functionality that works is better than something with a thousand features that no one can use. Make sure that each step is useful so that if you move on to something else, it’s something that can still help you. - Tell better stories
It’s not enough to be a builder, but to share it with the world you need to capture their imagination. Sometimes, it’s enough to show what you built in action, at other times, highlighting what it can enable others to do is what puts it over the tipping point. - Be in the moment
It teaches you how to ask better questions.