Explain Like I'm Five · by Ethan Brooks · 2026-09-20

How do you get better at simple without burning out with limited time?

I started this because my first week felt a little stuck, and explainers seemed like a manageable place to experiment. The funny part is that the smallest change was the one I kept.

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

My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 6 minutes to prepare, I am much more likely to keep doing it.

8 sparks · 3 comments

Comments

Imogen Clarke · 4 likes

Yes, but I would approach it in a small, testable way rather than trying to solve everything at once. If two options look equal, choose the one that is easier to reverse.

- 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.

Hope this helps!

Luciana Vargas · 2 likes

Yes, but I would approach it in a small, testable way rather than trying to solve everything at once. 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.

That should give you a solid first pass.

Finn Brown · 0 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.