Open Source · by Nour Ali · 2026-09-08

A tiny win from Madrid that made my week after a tiny failure

> Tiny progress is still progress.

That line sounds cheesy, but it got me through the part where github stopped feeling new.

I tried this in Istanbul with a friend and we both noticed the same thing: the social part mattered more than the perfect plan.

This is probably obvious to veterans here, but it clicked for me only recently. github got easier when I stopped treating every attempt like a final exam.

This is probably obvious to veterans here, but it clicked for me only recently. maintainers got easier when I stopped treating every attempt like a final exam.

55 sparks · 13 comments

Comments

Nour Ali · 14 likes

What would you change if you started over? The social part surprised me too.

Lucía García · 1 likes

That is a good boundary.

Beatriz Sousa · 5 likes

Love the tiny experiment energy. I noticed the same thing in Lagos.

Mariam Said · 3 likes

Love the tiny experiment energy. For me it came down to the routine.

Brian Otieno · 3 likes

Great point, especially the part about tiny. The messy constraint is probably the real story.

Nour Ali · 3 likes

This feels like advice from a patient friend. My only addition is to make the first step visible.

Khalid Al Zahrani · 0 likes

That sounds great until you add children/pets/deadlines.

Sara Ahmed · 2 likes

I appreciate the honest middle stage, not just the polished ending. I keep a note about licenses for exactly this reason.

Sophie Gagnon · 5 likes

Exactly; the hidden cost is energy.

Sofía Hernández · 2 likes

The Tuesday test is undefeated.

Nour Ali · 2 likes

I appreciate the honest middle stage, not just the polished ending. My only addition is to make the first step visible.

Martina Fernández · 1 likes

I am saving this for the next time I overthink tiny. My friend tried it in Madrid and had the opposite result.

Brian Otieno · 0 likes

I appreciate the honest middle stage, not just the polished ending. I noticed the same thing in Lagos. The boring solution is probably the reliable one here.