Science · by Hana Choi · 2026-10-02

A tiny story about pierogi, Buenos Aires and timing after a tiny failure

My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 9 minutes to prepare, I am much more likely to keep doing it.

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

40 sparks · 8 comments

Comments

Noah Miller · 9 likes

There is a hidden assumption here that not everyone shares. The social part surprised me too.

Jan Nowak · 1 likes

Small caveat: context changes the answer a lot.

Hana Choi · 1 likes

Exactly; the hidden cost is energy.

Chloe Davis · 0 likes

Beautifully concise.

Mango Coder · 1 likes

@tiny_marauder Thanks, that actually helped.

Marco Conti · 5 likes

Beautifully put. I needed that reminder today. The Manila example makes it feel concrete.

Nour Ali · 3 likes

Mildly negative take: the simple version is sometimes just underexplained. The rainy evening version is even more interesting. Now I want to read the paper behind it.

Valentina Ruiz · 2 likes

Honestly, great taste. That is where the boring checklist helps. I appreciate when people separate evidence from speculation.