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Make Things Exist.

When was the last time you made something real? Made it exist. There was nothing, now there is a great big something that you made. I’d venture to guess that you’d like it to happen more often.

Here’s how to make things exist:

1. Capture your idea
And start to flesh it out right away. Or else it will be gone forever. One of two things probably always happens to you: You don’t write them down and you forget or you wait to long to do anything about them and they lose their luster and excitement. Carry a notebook, or use your voice memos app, something. Ideas are like storms. They pop up in the perfect conditions, are crazy exciting, but will quickly fade away if you don’t chase them. We have to learn to listen to the idea as it come into our heads, reserve judgement, capture it, and flesh it out IMMEDIATELY. You can’t let ideas (even bad ones) just slip through the cracks.

2. Make the first draft right now.
Fast. Messy. Done. It doesn’t need to be perfect, it needs to exist. Stop thinking and just do it. Steven Pressfield said it best, “Our job is not to control the idea; our job is to figure out what our idea is (and wants to be)–and then bring it into being.”

3. Do a beta test.
Let people you know and trust play with this new thing that you’ve made. Then use what you’ve learned and apply it to the next round.

4. Stay in Beta
Constantly evolving. Constantly moving. We depend too much on our systems and our methods. Don’t get stuck because “This is the way we’ve always done it.” If it stops working, change. If zigging stops working, freaking zag!

Make things exist. Please.
Stay-Stupid

Happy Friday!

P.S.

Hi! 🙂 It’s been too long. I’m still here, just wrapped up in the end of our busiest season.  I’ll keep talking to you though. You’re amazing and I miss you.

Love,

Chris

  • James Todd - This reminds me of one of my favorite things on the entire internet: Paul Graham’s 6 Principles for Making New Things:
    (a) simple solutions (b) to overlooked problems (c) that actually need to be solved, and (d) deliver them as informally as possible, (e) starting with a very crude version 1, then (f) iterating rapidly.

    http://www.paulgraham.com/newthings.htmlReplyCancel

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