Day 919 - Unfashionable problems - https://golifelog.com/posts/unfashionable-problems-1688804127717
Recently read this post by [Paul Graham](http://paulgraham.com/greatwork.html):
> People show much more originality in solving problems than in deciding which problems to solve. Even the smartest can be surprisingly conservative when deciding what to work on. People who'd never dream of being fashionable in any other way get sucked into working on fashionable problems.
>
> One reason people are more conservative when choosing problems than solutions is that problems are bigger bets. A problem could occupy you for years, while exploring a solution might only take days. But even so I think most people are too conservative. They're not merely responding to risk, but to fashion as well. Unfashionable problems are undervalued.
>
> ......Working on an unfashionable problem can be very pleasing. There's no hype or hurry. Opportunists and critics are both occupied elsewhere. The existing work often has an old-school solidity. And there's a satisfying sense of economy in cultivating ideas that would otherwise be wasted.
It's intriguing. Got me thinking: What's an unfashionable problem? Especially for indie hackers?
That's easy. Anything that's not AI right now. 😂
Ok but a few spaces I see from other indie folks:
- @poppacalypse creating a online ordering app for F&Bs. Not one-time payments, not MRR, but a % cut from each payment.
- @DmytroKrasun making a screenshot tool for other makers and startups
- @greglim81 writing ebook and courses on coding on Amazon
- @yongfook creating automated design software for developers
- @jakobgreenfeld doing service on cold email
- @Kamphey as the Google Sheets guy
- @searchbound selling onions on the internet, and his job board for ranches
- @dannypostmaa selling component templates for Figma, Webflow, Tailwind (not his AI apps)
The more I listed, the more I realised, that's what most indies are doing, isn't it? Unfashionable problems.
Just problems and opportunities that opened up to them at the right time, right place. Problems that they were perhaps uniquely positioned to solved. Opportunities that maybe only they saw.
Not what's fashionable, not what everyone sees.
What's *my* unfashionable problem? 🤔🤔🤔
> People show much more originality in solving problems than in deciding which problems to solve. Even the smartest can be surprisingly conservative when deciding what to work on. People who'd never dream of being fashionable in any other way get sucked into working on fashionable problems.
>
> One reason people are more conservative when choosing problems than solutions is that problems are bigger bets. A problem could occupy you for years, while exploring a solution might only take days. But even so I think most people are too conservative. They're not merely responding to risk, but to fashion as well. Unfashionable problems are undervalued.
>
> ......Working on an unfashionable problem can be very pleasing. There's no hype or hurry. Opportunists and critics are both occupied elsewhere. The existing work often has an old-school solidity. And there's a satisfying sense of economy in cultivating ideas that would otherwise be wasted.
It's intriguing. Got me thinking: What's an unfashionable problem? Especially for indie hackers?
That's easy. Anything that's not AI right now. 😂
Ok but a few spaces I see from other indie folks:
- @poppacalypse creating a online ordering app for F&Bs. Not one-time payments, not MRR, but a % cut from each payment.
- @DmytroKrasun making a screenshot tool for other makers and startups
- @greglim81 writing ebook and courses on coding on Amazon
- @yongfook creating automated design software for developers
- @jakobgreenfeld doing service on cold email
- @Kamphey as the Google Sheets guy
- @searchbound selling onions on the internet, and his job board for ranches
- @dannypostmaa selling component templates for Figma, Webflow, Tailwind (not his AI apps)
The more I listed, the more I realised, that's what most indies are doing, isn't it? Unfashionable problems.
Just problems and opportunities that opened up to them at the right time, right place. Problems that they were perhaps uniquely positioned to solved. Opportunities that maybe only they saw.
Not what's fashionable, not what everyone sees.
What's *my* unfashionable problem? 🤔🤔🤔