Day 778 - Ask why you shouldn't do it, not why you should - https://golifelog.com/posts/ask-why-you-shouldnt-do-it-not-why-you-should-1676584348308
Saw this tweet and really enjoyed the contrarian perspective when starting on a new idea or product:
> Don't try to validate your next startup idea. Instead ask people why you SHOULDN'T start working on it. That way you'll reduce your own biais 🔥 – [@xavier_coiffard](https://twitter.com/xavier_coiffard/status/1625865771384463363)
Because we always consider more reasons we can add to the list of reasons for doing it, but seldom consider *removing* reasons, or reasons that disprove the idea.
It's Nassim Taleb's *via negativa* approach basically. Focus in what it isn't. A recipe for what to avoid, what not to do. Subtractive, not additive.
And when you're entralled by a shiny new object of an idea, everything in your brain is compelling you to make irrational judgements to persuade yourself and others that you are right. You might even co-opt "intuition/gut feel" as a reason even if you don't. There's so many things to watch out for:
- Personal bias - You're interested in the the topic and that blinds you to seeing the reality of the market conditions needed to judge if pursuing the idea is a good decision
- Lack of information - As with most products starting out, you don't even have enough data to make a good judgement call, but you make them anyway, filling in the gaps with your own subjective interpretations.
- Over-optimism - You drank the Kool-aid and believed in narratives like "patience for results", even if you're working on the wrong thing and you're actually stalling.
- Media hype - Everyone and their mother is talking about it (like NFTs, web3, now AI), so you got on the bandwagon too without deeply understanding the technology or how investors/companies hype up certain things because they are incentivized to do so.
The way I see it, there's a lot more skewing forces to convince you that your idea is a good one and you should pursue it. Less forces balancing out the other way (other than cynical family members/friends).
It just makes more sense then to ask people why you should drop it, to address those blindspots directly. You usually have enough knowledge of the pros anyways...
Ask why you shouldn't do it, not why you should.
> Don't try to validate your next startup idea. Instead ask people why you SHOULDN'T start working on it. That way you'll reduce your own biais 🔥 – [@xavier_coiffard](https://twitter.com/xavier_coiffard/status/1625865771384463363)
Because we always consider more reasons we can add to the list of reasons for doing it, but seldom consider *removing* reasons, or reasons that disprove the idea.
It's Nassim Taleb's *via negativa* approach basically. Focus in what it isn't. A recipe for what to avoid, what not to do. Subtractive, not additive.
And when you're entralled by a shiny new object of an idea, everything in your brain is compelling you to make irrational judgements to persuade yourself and others that you are right. You might even co-opt "intuition/gut feel" as a reason even if you don't. There's so many things to watch out for:
- Personal bias - You're interested in the the topic and that blinds you to seeing the reality of the market conditions needed to judge if pursuing the idea is a good decision
- Lack of information - As with most products starting out, you don't even have enough data to make a good judgement call, but you make them anyway, filling in the gaps with your own subjective interpretations.
- Over-optimism - You drank the Kool-aid and believed in narratives like "patience for results", even if you're working on the wrong thing and you're actually stalling.
- Media hype - Everyone and their mother is talking about it (like NFTs, web3, now AI), so you got on the bandwagon too without deeply understanding the technology or how investors/companies hype up certain things because they are incentivized to do so.
The way I see it, there's a lot more skewing forces to convince you that your idea is a good one and you should pursue it. Less forces balancing out the other way (other than cynical family members/friends).
It just makes more sense then to ask people why you should drop it, to address those blindspots directly. You usually have enough knowledge of the pros anyways...
Ask why you shouldn't do it, not why you should.