Day 893 - Satisficing vs Maximizing - https://golifelog.com/posts/satisficing-vs-maximizing-1686564089152
Jason Cohen wrote an thought-provoking post about ["Satisficing vs Maximizing"](https://longform.asmartbear.com/maximizing/):
> “Maximizing” means finding the best solution. It requires exploration and analysis to ensure “the best” option hasn’t been overlooked, and that we have confidence in our evaluation of the options. “Satisficing” means picking the first or easiest or least-expensive option that satisfies the requirements. Preferring a faster decision to the best decision. It means not getting paralyzed by the pursuit of “perfect,” but as a result, rarely results in the very best solution. People naturally tend to be Maximizers or Satisficers, although it depends on the subject. For example, you might maximize your career, but satisfice your diet.
It's interesting as an indie hacker reading this because you'd think we're all impatient Satisficers shipping scrappy MVPs, launching on Product Hunt on impulse, and leveraging on an opportunity that a viral tweet gave. I definitely thought that way about myself as an indie for sure.
But that's misleading. It's not either/or, it's not all the time everytime. It "depends on the subject", as Cohen said. We could be Satisficers when it comes to shipping fast, but Mazimizers in other things, like say customer support.
So what's some things indies should satisfice, things that indies should maximize? It always depends on context, but I can imagine these generally fall into either:
Satisfice:
- Launch many small bets to find a good one to double down on.
- Shipping fast when you're building something new, unsure of product-market fit.
- Business admin details can wait – logo, business plan, brand, accountant, business plan.
- Tweeting daily. For something that lasts only 48h max, you shouldn't be taking days to write one.
Maximize:
- Shipping slow when you got many customers already, high MRR, and you're way past the scrappy solo startup image.
- Be authentic and thorough in your engagement with customers, especially in customer support.
- Find one repeatable, positive ROI distribution channel, get good in it, before moving on to other channels.
- Write good SEO blog posts, and repeatedly edit them to bring in more traffic.
*What other things do you satisfice vs maximize?*
> “Maximizing” means finding the best solution. It requires exploration and analysis to ensure “the best” option hasn’t been overlooked, and that we have confidence in our evaluation of the options. “Satisficing” means picking the first or easiest or least-expensive option that satisfies the requirements. Preferring a faster decision to the best decision. It means not getting paralyzed by the pursuit of “perfect,” but as a result, rarely results in the very best solution. People naturally tend to be Maximizers or Satisficers, although it depends on the subject. For example, you might maximize your career, but satisfice your diet.
It's interesting as an indie hacker reading this because you'd think we're all impatient Satisficers shipping scrappy MVPs, launching on Product Hunt on impulse, and leveraging on an opportunity that a viral tweet gave. I definitely thought that way about myself as an indie for sure.
But that's misleading. It's not either/or, it's not all the time everytime. It "depends on the subject", as Cohen said. We could be Satisficers when it comes to shipping fast, but Mazimizers in other things, like say customer support.
So what's some things indies should satisfice, things that indies should maximize? It always depends on context, but I can imagine these generally fall into either:
Satisfice:
- Launch many small bets to find a good one to double down on.
- Shipping fast when you're building something new, unsure of product-market fit.
- Business admin details can wait – logo, business plan, brand, accountant, business plan.
- Tweeting daily. For something that lasts only 48h max, you shouldn't be taking days to write one.
Maximize:
- Shipping slow when you got many customers already, high MRR, and you're way past the scrappy solo startup image.
- Be authentic and thorough in your engagement with customers, especially in customer support.
- Find one repeatable, positive ROI distribution channel, get good in it, before moving on to other channels.
- Write good SEO blog posts, and repeatedly edit them to bring in more traffic.
*What other things do you satisfice vs maximize?*