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> For example, if someone asks me for help on something because I'm more familiar with it, my spending five minutes to answer their question might save them an
by shock 6y ago
> For example, if someone asks me for help on something because I'm more familiar with it, my spending five minutes to answer their question might save them an hour of troubleshooting. Here, the Napoleon technique would save me time but only by wasting the other person's time.
Other people learning new stuff is not a waste of time.
- strogonoff 6y agoI think there's certain hubris in wanting to be the person who has helped. Maybe I was not the first on the list to ask for help. Maybe I am not the last. Maybe someone else will explain it better and quicker. Perhaps I underestimate how easily the person in trouble can find a good resource online and, indeed, learn from it. (Maybe they underestimate themselves, too!) I suffer from this tendency myself. It often feels nice to be helpful.