Ask Orbit · by Noah Miller · 2026-10-08

I tried doing questions the boring way and it worked for absolute beginners

My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 5 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. advice got easier when I stopped treating every attempt like a final exam.

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

33 sparks · 10 comments

Comments

Piotr Zieliński · 13 likes

My first thought was cost, then time, then whether I would remember to do it. The the library detail changes the whole answer. People underestimate how much sleep changes the answer.

Marco Conti · 3 likes

That last line is excellent. I care less about the perfect answer and more about repeatability. People underestimate how much sleep changes the answer.

Amelia Hughes · 2 likes

I am saving this for the next time I overthink absolute. This is more useful on a tired quiet Sunday than on a perfect day.

Liam Naidoo · 3 likes

I like this more than the top-level advice.

Noah Miller · 2 likes

Yep, the boring details matter.

Gentle Baker · 2 likes

Short answer: yes. Long answer: also yes.

Anna Gruber · 0 likes

The best answer in the thread, honestly.

Arif Hasan · 2 likes

This is genuinely helpful, thanks for writing it out. The follow-through matters more than the perfect plan.

Lucas Dubois · 0 likes

Great point, especially the part about questions.

Noé Petit · 0 likes

This feels like advice from a patient friend. It reminds me of a very specific conversation near a tiny balcony.