Maybe you should keep working on that idea someone else had before you
Seven Things — #7 — 13 June 2020
Hello Friend 👋
Here are Seven Things I was curious about this week:
Product development: Too many people give up on their ideas too early because they see a version of them out in the world. I think that’s a shame, so I’m explaining in a blog post and my latest episode of Product Nuggets why it’s often best not to be first to have an idea.
Product development: Jason Fried (Basecamp) really challenged some long-held assumptions about product development at this week’s TNW Sprint Couch conference. My favourite takeaways were
(i) Don’t estimate tasks, estimate appetite. You could spend forever on any product development tasks, so instead of estimating how long it will take, set the time you are comfortable to invest in it; and
(ii) “Users can only really judge what they use. We do very little upfront research or discovery. The core idea has to come from us, then users can tell us if they like it.” (I’m paraphrasing from memory.)
Sadly, it doesn’t look as though the recordings will be made public, but get in touch if you want to chat about these ideas.Side gigs: Since writing about how to start a new pet project, I came across this HBR podcast episode which encourages listeners to be strategic about choosing those side gigs and how they can fit into a career.
Tech: I spent nowhere near as much time at the virtual CogX conference this week as I would have wanted, mostly focusing on the environment track which covered anything from new technologies to battle climate change to making other planets our home. Check out the highlight reels on YouTube.
Environment: I finally finished reading Jared Diamond’s Collapse, which, on the surface, is about the relationship between societal prosperity and how we treat our environments (and their resources), but it also serves as a playbook for governments and companies. Be warned, it’s not a page-turner but packed with detail and insights.
The day after, I came across this striking photo of Agnes Denes in a wheatfield she planted in downtown Manhattan and couldn’t help but to wonder about how these two works are linked.Environment: If you know me, you know I love turtles so a report of 64.000 turtles caught on camera gave me hope. How does one count 64.000 sea turtles?
Shared by you: If you are in need of a good laugh, you may enjoy The Adam Buxton Podcast with “rambly conversations with interesting people that are sometimes funny, sometimes more serious with funny bits”. Thanks for the tip, John! I also enjoyed this video of Julie Nolke explaining the pandemic to her past self.
Thank you for being curious with me. Please do me a favour and forward this newsletter to a friend. If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe here.
Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of any current or previous employers.