DIY · by Avery Johnson · 2026-09-23

My 9-month experiment with tools from my Monday morning notes

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

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

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

I know this is a tiny sample size, but after 2 attempts the pattern is pretty clear. When I keep the setup simple, I actually follow through.

53 sparks · 12 comments

Comments

Paper Coder · 5 likes

This is useful for some cases, but terrible advice if the stakes are high. I used to overcomplicate this constantly.

Ananya Rao · 4 likes

You explained the tradeoff really clearly. I keep a note about tools for exactly this reason.

Cedar Coder · 3 likes

The vibe here is immaculate. I would write it down before changing anything else.

Mina Chowdhury · 1 likes

The conclusion is too broad, but the example is interesting.

Avery Johnson · 5 likes

That is the part people skip.

Liam Wilson · 5 likes

I had the same reaction to broad.

Maya Williams · 1 likes

Kind of wild how often example is the whole issue.

Elsa Andersson · 1 likes

This is the kind of disagreement I like.

Mateo Cruz · 1 likes

That is a good question for people with more experience than me. Honestly, the simplest version wins for me.

Sara Ahmed · 1 likes

The vibe here is immaculate. I learned that one the expensive way.

Arif Hasan · 1 likes

There is a hidden assumption here that not everyone shares. This is more useful on a tired weekend than on a perfect day. I like that it feels lived-in instead of over-polished.

Rapid Otter · 0 likes

My version of this was messier, but the conclusion was similar. The Lisbon example makes it feel concrete.