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Ideas become better when refined. Sometimes over the course of years. You can assemble a larger composite idea under the umbrella of a single vision, comprised

by rl3 6y ago

Ideas become better when refined. Sometimes over the course of years. You can assemble a larger composite idea under the umbrella of a single vision, comprised of many smaller ideas. There's of course a balance to be struck depending on the idea's scope and urgency. Both may change with refinement. Idea generation is both a learned skill and intrinsic to a person's circumstance and psychology. Ample unstructured time, low amounts of stress, and an affinity for day dreaming tend to help. Over time you grow to actually enjoy deep thinking as recreation. I've noticed whenever I'm focused on a particular idea, it kind of forms a lens that shapes my world view. Anything I then encounter I view as a puzzle piece, which my mind attempts to reconcile into the larger puzzle that is the foremost idea in my mind at the time. It's a very similar dynamic to PG's musings on the subject.[0] [0] http://www.paulgraham.com/top.html http://www.paulgraham.com/top.html

chiefalchemist 6y ago
> Ideas become better when refined. Agreed.This is why execution is more important than idea. Why? Because most ideas aren't born great. They evolve and progress. That's part of execution. The process of taking a good idea and make it great.
- rl3 6y ago
  I think trying to say one is more important than the other is a false dichotomy. They are both very important. It's true that ideas tend to dramatically evolve as a result of execution. Likewise execution affords an opportunity for refinement that simply isn't there prior. I'd argue it's a different kind of refinement though from what you get while you're still in the green field stage. Thinking and research on their own—over the course of a very long period of time—offer insight that isn't easily gleaned under the high-stress environment of execution. A different kind of insight or refinement, if you will. It's worth noting that there are entire professions where the majority of what they do is think. Physics and philosophy come to mind. Why thinking is valued so little in tech by contrast, I don't know.
  - chiefalchemist 6y ago
    My benchmark: Good execution of a 7 idea will beat bad execution of a 10 idea. As mentioned, the idea isn't static. The idea is more of a process. And processes are driven by (quality of) execution, and team. I'm not dismissing the value of idea. But it's generally over-valued. You'll do better starting with a good idea and making it better than you will waiting for a great idea.
- danjac 6y ago
  It's interesting that some successful ideas were born out of tangential side projects - wasn't Slack originally just a chat room inside a game? But executing on the original idea surfaced a more profitable idea - kind of like mining for gold but finding instead a copper seam that makes you rich anyway.

by rl3 6y ago

chiefalchemist 6y ago

> Ideas become better when refined. Agreed.This is why execution is more important than idea. Why? Because most ideas aren't born great. They evolve and progress. That's part of execution. The process of taking a good idea and make it great.

rl3 6y ago
I think trying to say one is more important than the other is a false dichotomy. They are both very important. It's true that ideas tend to dramatically evolve as a result of execution. Likewise execution affords an opportunity for refinement that simply isn't there prior. I'd argue it's a different kind of refinement though from what you get while you're still in the green field stage. Thinking and research on their own—over the course of a very long period of time—offer insight that isn't easily gleaned under the high-stress environment of execution. A different kind of insight or refinement, if you will. It's worth noting that there are entire professions where the majority of what they do is think. Physics and philosophy come to mind. Why thinking is valued so little in tech by contrast, I don't know.
- chiefalchemist 6y ago
  My benchmark: Good execution of a 7 idea will beat bad execution of a 10 idea. As mentioned, the idea isn't static. The idea is more of a process. And processes are driven by (quality of) execution, and team. I'm not dismissing the value of idea. But it's generally over-valued. You'll do better starting with a good idea and making it better than you will waiting for a great idea.
danjac 6y ago
It's interesting that some successful ideas were born out of tangential side projects - wasn't Slack originally just a chat room inside a game? But executing on the original idea surfaced a more profitable idea - kind of like mining for gold but finding instead a copper seam that makes you rich anyway.