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Explain Like I'm Five · by Sara Ahmed · 2026-09-25

Quick poll for people who love questions

> Tiny progress is still progress.

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

I tried this in Buenos Aires with a friend and we both noticed teh same thing: teh social part mattered more then teh perfect plan

75 sparks · 23 comments

Comments

Ethan Brooks · 19 likes

I picked Only with help, mostly becuase it feels easiest to live with. My friend tried it in Melbourne and had the opposite result

Isha Menon · 2 likes

Beautifully concise

Quiet Otter · 1 likes

I think both things can be true

Ethan Brooks · 1 likes

This is the kind of disagreement I like

Noah Miller · 10 likes

that last line is excellent. I am curious whether questions still feels good next month. I needed this reminder today

Ngozi Bello · 9 likes

I picked Yes, definitely, mostly becuase it feels easiest to live with. The social part surprised me too

Maya Williams · 7 likes

Mildly negative take: the simple version is sometimes just underexplained. I keep a note about learning for exactly this reason

Noah Miller · 12 likes

I needed the reminder to start smaller

Maya Williams · 3 likes

The Tuesday test is undefeated

Maya Williams · 2 likes

that is fair, but I still worry about maintenance

Mango Mango · 0 likes

That is a good boundary

Sophie Gagnon · 6 likes

could be regional too

Sara Ahmed · 0 likes

That sounds great until you add children/pets/deadlines

Mia Anderson · 5 likes

Yes, definately got my vote. The other choices are good, but this one fits my week. I am curious whether simple still feels good next month

Mateo Cruz · 5 likes

Only with help got my vote. The other choices are good but this one fits my week. I used to overcomplicate this constantly

Maya Williams · 3 likes

I picked Yes, definitely, mostly because it feels easiest to live with. The gentle part is easy to underestimate

Midnight Baker · 2 likes

Yes, definitely got my vote. The other choices are good, but this one fits my week. It sounds small, but teh first draft matters

Sofía Hernández · 3 likes

Can you expand on that a bit?

Siti Lestari · 2 likes

Surprised more people aren't choosing Yes, definitely. It seems like teh practical answer. I learned that one teh expensive way

Rohan Mehta · 1 likes

Can you share what you tried before this? My only addition is to make the first step visible. This is kinder advice then most of the internet manages

Noah Miller · 1 likes

Surprised more people aren't choosing Only with help. It seems like the practical answer. I noticed the same thing in Istanbul

Jiho Lee · 1 likes

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

Maya Putri · 1 likes

surprised more people aren't choosing Yes, definitely. It seems like the practical answer. It reminds me of a very specific conversation near the library