AI Lab · by Marco Conti · 2026-10-06

Can we talk about the underrated side of tools after 12 tries

Part of me wanted the fancy version with all the tools. The better version was boring: one notebook, one reminder, and a willingness to be clumsy with the setup for a while.

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

25 sparks · 7 comments

Comments

Finn Brown · 2 likes

There is a hidden assumption here that not everyone shares.

Noah Miller · 2 likes

The context helps. Without it I would have assumed the opposite. I keep a note about tools for exactly this reason.

Cedar Sparrow · 1 likes

Amazing how much difference one small change can make. That is where the boring checklist helps. This is exactly the kind of tradeoff teams argue about for weeks.

Valeria López · 9 likes

Could be regional too.

Rachel Tan · 1 likes

Good reminder that boring can be good. The cozy constraint is probably the real story.

Nour Ali · 1 likes

Noted, and thank you.

Siti Lim · 1 likes

Did anyone else read this and immediately make a tiny checklist? The ambitious part is easy to underestimate. Naming things remains undefeated as the hardest problem.