Solve most important problems only. Choose simplest solutions.

[CreamCat]

For any given problem, choose the simplest solution possible even if it is not a very future-proof solution. I made a series of mistake of choosing fun solutions that are very complex and end up eating months of my full-time efforts. I wasted years in the past.

When you implement a simple solution and realize you made a mistake, you only wasted a little time.

When you implement a complex solution and realize you made a mistake, you wasted months.

Mistakes should be cheap so that you can afford to make mistakes and learn from them.

• Don't choose complex solutions when simple solutions are available.
• Don't choose fun solutions when simple solutions are available.
• Don't waste your time on fun solutions to non-problems or unimportant problems.
• Don't solve unimportant problems or non-problems or
  possibly important problems that may or may not arise in the future.
• Solve the most important problems by choosing simplest solutions.
  • Often, the simplest solution is to just reuse existing components rather than invent a new component.
• Any solution becomes a legacy that you may want to replace with a new solution in the future.
  The simpler it is, the cheaper and faster it becomes to replace it with another.

Edited September 13, 2019 by CreamCat

[flowboy]

This is good advice! I copy this to my onenote.

I've made similar mistakes with getting lost in impractical unnecessarily complex and fun solutions that eat up all my time and don't even get finished.

I think I subconsciously needed everything I did to be special in some way. My self-worth was tied up with doing everything in my own special way. Very impractical.

Edited September 12, 2019 by flowboy

[bejapuskas]

@CreamCat  Thanks for sharing!

@flowboy  It's like as if I heard myself talking when I read that  

[CreamCat]

5 hours ago, flowboy said:

My self-worth was tied up with doing everything in my own special way. Very impractical.

That was my mistake, too. Very egoic and very impractical.