Premature optimization is a Timing Mistake
Ultimately, timing and the things you can’t control—like your decision-making—will determine whether you succeed or fail. The majority of people struggle greatly with making decisions. However, it’s something you can improve on. Now let’s address the more difficult dynamic that is beyond our control: timing. In life, everything comes down to time. Correct? Sometimes We Just Can’t Predict the Future There are always instances where you wish you could go back in time and say, “If only I knew then what I know now.” Those are undoubtedly timing problems. However, it is difficult to forecast the future, therefore timing is a challenge. Palm Pilot after Apple Newton Ever worked incredibly hard on an idea you had, only to have it fail miserably? However, after a few years, someone else steals the idea and makes millions of dollars. Imagine it is 1992, and Scully is carrying an Apple Newton Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) as he exits the stage at the Chicago CES. Did you have one? I didn’t. However, in 1996, Palm Computing released the PDA, and I was undoubtedly the owner of one. Read more about it here. The timing was perfect. No one can predict when we’ll be ready and conditions will be perfect. We’re Not All Victims of Timing I adore stand-up humour. I enjoy seeing them at work. More than anything, though, I enjoy seeing how they create their work by going behind the scenes. This video, which shows Jerry Seinfeld writing a joke, may be familiar to you. I like how much attention to timing, speed, and his statement that he would remove syllables from sentences to tighten the rhythm are highlighted as he discusses his art. Put another way, stand-up comedians don’t believe that time is something they have no control over. On the contrary. They have complete control over timing. My point is simple – some creators (and some industries) have realized that they aren’t victims of timing. So what does that mean? Can we control timing enough to make it work for us? The Timing Mistake We Often Make I was preparing to buy my first house when I was 27. I was ready to move out of rental housing, had a solid career, and lived in Northern California. What is the first house you purchased? 1400 square feet was mine. Furthermore, it was far bigger than my flat and more than I needed. I was ecstatic. But just think for a moment, Chris, you’re going to have two kids and you’ll need an office so you can work from home. You will require an extra piano room since your future wife will want to play the piano. What if I had stated that I required 3,500 square feet as opposed to 1,400? Since I wanted to be certain that my current circumstances would function for my future expectation. In 1997, I made my first house purchase. We’re almost done with 2022 now. You have no idea how ridiculous it would be to expect the house I selected in 1997 to provide for all of my needs twenty-five years later. If you have ever launched a new business, let’s make it more relatable for you. Consider the initial few months of that trip. Did you start by coming up with a fresh name for your company and then hire someone to design a logo? Have you ordered any t-shirts or caps? How about stickers? In order to feel professional, a lot of people I know dive headfirst into creating logos, designs, and even custom branded apparel. And I’m sure that others can clarify all of its rationally. However, these are signs of the same issue. We don’t know if our company name is appropriate or will stick around. We don’t know if the colors we selected were a terrible mistake or right on. There are many things we don’t know until the business is up and running and we have a clear picture of who our competitors are. It’s easy to confuse movement with progress. We convince ourselves that we want to do things (like purchasing a home or launching a business) perfectly. Thus, we begin propelling ourselves ahead. Believing we’re taking on the correct challenges and, above all, being happy that we’re making progress. However, advancement and mobility are not the same. Premature movement is one of the most frequent errors I observe. I’m referring specifically to premature optimization. I think that’s the worst timing error that most people make. It’s the kind of planning where you say, “I won’t start with 1400 right now because I plan to need 3500 square feet someday.” Allow me to demonstrate how and why this timing error is frequently made. After that, we’ll discuss how to avoid it. What is Premature Optimization? I’ve worked with, mentored, and given advice to hundreds of business owners over the past 20 years, primarily in the technology sector. Nearly all of them have made the mistake of optimizing too soon. It’s without a doubt the greatest and worst timing error I’ve ever witnessed. What then is it? To put it plainly, it refers to taking action ahead of time. An alternative phrase for it would be “solving an issue before it becomes an issue.” Here’s an alternative interpretation of the term: it refers to the unreasonable desire to act now in order to solve a hypothetical future issue. Not that it sounds cruel. So picture me defining this, not for you, but for myself. I have more power within me. especially when you understand that there are things about me that make me keep making the same mistakes repeatedly and that I will undoubtedly repeat them if I don’t learn this lesson. To start, how many of us are able to foresee the future? Not one. Correct? Let’s just concede that we will never be able to address some future issues because we will never be able to see around those corners. You may understand why I might think
