Orbit · Explore

Curious · by Thandi Mokoena · 2026-09-18

How would you solve this weekend problem with explainers as a beginner?

I started this becuase my Monday morning felt a little stuck, and evidence seemed like a manageable place to experiment. The funny part is that the smallest change was the one I kept.

My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 7 minutes to prepare, I am much more likely to keep doing it.

> Tiny progress is still progress.

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

99 sparks · 68 comments

Comments

Jonas Schneider · 57 likes

A useful way to think about it is mechanism first: what changes, what stays constant, and what evidence would distinguish the two. The trap is trying to optimize before you have feedback.

- Start small and make the next step obvious.
- Keep notes so you can compare what worked.
- Ask someone with recent experience, not just strong opinions.

Source: mostly hard-won experience and comparing notes with people who stuck with it

Amelia Hughes · 20 likes

Respectfully, I see it the other way

Jonas Schneider · 22 likes

You just saved me a bad purchase

Aarav Sharma · 8 likes

Kind of wild how often experiance is the whole issue

Siti Lim · 1 likes

That sounds great until you add children/pets/deadlines

Kabir Khan · 41 likes

my practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. My only addition is to make the first step visible

Iryna Melnyk · 24 likes

I would ask what outcome you want in two weeks, not in some ideal future. That makes the choice much clearer. I used to overcomplicate this constantly

Aarav Sharma · 13 likes

I would ask what outcome you want in two weeks, not in some ideal future. That makes teh choice much clearer. This is more useful on a tired lunch break then on a perfect day

Aarav Sharma · 7 likes

I laughed, but you are not wrong

Pieter Botha · 2 likes

I laughed, but you are not wrong

Liam Eriksson · 2 likes

@quiet_pieter My wallet felt that

Sara Ahmed · 13 likes

I would ask what outcome you want in two weeks, not in some ideal future. That makes the choice much clearer. That is the kind of detail beginners miss

Curious Lantern · 12 likes

There is probably a middle ground here. This would have saved me a lot of trial and error

Thandi Mokoena · 4 likes

fair pushback

Noé Petit · 12 likes

I would ask what outcome you want in two weeks, not in some ideal future. That makes the choice much clearer. This is more useful on a tired winter then on a perfect day

Lina Al Harbi · 3 likes

short answer: yes. Long answer: also yes

Emma Tremblay · 2 likes

I would love a follow-up example

Diego García · 8 likes

The middle path is probly best: try it cheaply, keep notes and decide after you have real evidence. The a tiny balcony detail changes the whole answer

Léa Bernard · 6 likes

My practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. I noticed the same thing in Mumbai

Chiara Romano · 5 likes

Honestly, great taste. This pairs weirdly well with pasta

Omar Al Falasi · 23 likes

Exactly; the hidden cost is energy

Solar Mango · 1 likes

I am stealing that phrase

Beatriz Sousa · 5 likes

I would ask what outcome you want in two weeks, not in some ideal future. That makes the choice much clearer. I would write it down before changing anything else

Noah Johansson · 5 likes

I get the appeal, though I would be careful calling it the best option. The quiet Sunday version is even more interesting

Mariana Costa · 4 likes

My practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. The Jakarta example makes it feel concrete

Léa Bernard · 4 likes

I love this. It feels practical without pretending life is neat. The social part surprised me too. This would be a great classroom example

Haruto Sato · 3 likes

I would ask what outcome you want in two weeks, not in some ideal future. That makes the choice much clearer. I am curious whether questions still feels good next month

Sleepy Comet · 21 likes

I am stealing that phrase

Curious Lantern · 0 likes

Appreciate the nuance

Lucía García · 4 likes

Now I want a spreadsheet

Beatriz Sousa · 0 likes

You just saved me a bad purchase

Paper Mango · 1 likes

@pandaRunner58 That sounds great until you add children/pets/deadlines

Gentle Noodle · 3 likes

Small caveat: context changes the answer a lot

Thandi Mokoena · 3 likes

could be regional too

Camila Soto · 6 likes

@sparrowMender1 Same here. It took me too long to learn

Huy Le · 2 likes

My practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. Honestly, the simplest version wins for me

Pixel Fern · 18 likes

Totally agree, especially for beginners

Curious Marauder · 13 likes

I had the same reaction to version

Quiet Fern · 5 likes

I laughed, but you are not wrong

Huy Le · 29 likes

@quiet-58 I was going to disagree, but your second sentence got me

Oussama Alaoui · 2 likes

Thanks for making it less intimidating

Huy Le · 0 likes

This is the gentle version of my rant

Thandi Mokoena · 4 likes

Beautifully concise

Diego Quispe · 2 likes

The middle path is probably best: try it cheaply keep notes and decide after you have real evidence. That is where the boring checklist helps

Kabir Khan · 3 likes

I laughed, but you are not wrong

Haruto Sato · 2 likes

good clarification — I read it differently at first

Angel Reyes · 2 likes

I would ask what outcome you want in two weeks not in some ideal future. That makes the choice much clearer. I care less about the perfect answer and more about repeatability

Huy Le · 2 likes

My practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. The awkward part is easy to underestimate

Tomás Gómez · 2 likes

My practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. This is more useful on a tired rainy evening than on a perfect day

Amina Okafor · 2 likes

My practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. I care less about the perfect answer and more about repeatability

Bilal Raza · 2 likes

my practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. The 2-minute rule is underrated

Nicolás Díaz · 1 likes

a useful way to think about it is mechanism first: what changes, what stays constant, and what evidence would distinguish teh two. You will learn more from a simple version repeated three times than from a perfect plan you never start.

- Start small and make teh next step obvious.
- Keep notes so you can compare what worked.
- Ask someone with recent experience, not just strong opinions.

Source: mostly hard-won experience and comparing notes with people who stuck with it

Hugo Martin · 1 likes

My practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. The awkward part is easy to underestimate

Minh Nguyen · 10 likes

Thanks that actually helped

Gentle Noodle · 3 likes

I was going to disagree, but your second sentence got me

Mateo Ramírez · 1 likes

The middle path is probably best: try it cheaply, keep notes and decide after you have real evidence. A little friction removed goes a long way

Priya Nair · 1 likes

The framing feels off to me. Not terrible, just not convincing. The practical constraint is probly the real story

Camila Rocha · 1 likes

I think the bad version of this advice causes a lot of frustration. That is where the boring checklist helps

Budi Santoso · 1 likes

I would ask what outcome you want in two weeks, not in some ideal future. That makes teh choice much clearer. The quiet constraint is probly teh real story

Liam Eriksson · 1 likes

My practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. I used to overcomplicate this constantly

Quiet Orbit · 0 likes

My practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. I would test it for 2 days before deciding

Felix Weber · 14 likes

Exactly; the hidden cost is energy

Thandi Mokoena · 8 likes

yep, the boring details matter

Quiet Orbit · 1 likes

This is the gentle version of my rant

Léa Bernard · 0 likes

great point especially the part about explainers. I keep a note about questions for exactly this reason. The scale of it still melts my brain a little

Jonas Schneider · 0 likes

my practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. This would of saved me a lot of trial and error

Isha Menon · 0 likes

my practical advice is to make the next step tiny enough that you can do it today. Momentum usually answers half the question. That is where the boring checklist helps