History · by Benjamín Rojas · 2026-09-08

Ada Lovelace made me rethink a small assumption after 19 tries

en.wikipedia.org

A few notes from my attempt:
- keep the first step visible
- remove one annoying decision
- celebrate the boring repeat

Would love to hear how other people handle this. I am especially curious about the version that works on a tired weekday, not just on an ideal Sunday.

I had a disappointing first try, a surprisingly good second try, and then a third attempt that taught me humility. So, naturally, I now have opinions.

Part of me wanted the fancy version with all the tools. The better version was boring: one notebook, one reminder, and a willingness to be clumsy with the recipe for a while.

26 sparks · 10 comments

Comments

Iryna Melnyk · 5 likes

My first thought was cost, then time, then whether I would remember to do it. I used to overcomplicate this constantly. I love details that only make sense once you've been there.

Amina Okafor · 1 likes

Kind of wild how often make is the whole issue.

Midnight Otter · 1 likes

The Tuesday test is undefeated.

Tomás Gómez · 1 likes

Can you expand on that a bit?

Benjamín Rojas · 0 likes

Now I want a spreadsheet.

Tiny Comet · 3 likes

I like the idea, but the setup probably matters a lot. I noticed the same thing in Istanbul.

Valentina Ruiz · 0 likes

Fair point, but I had the opposite experience. This pairs weirdly well with tacos.

Jasmine Cruz · 2 likes

Thanks for making it less intimidating.

Iryna Melnyk · 0 likes

I disagree a bit. small matters, but the bigger issue is usually expectations. The quiet part is easy to underestimate.

Hana Choi · 0 likes

That is a good question for people with more experience than me. I would test it for 8 days before deciding.