Do beats Don't

Doubt. Doubt is the killer of all human dreams. It’s certainly the killer of many things in my life, both in terms of productivity and life choices.

We have this miraculous ability—to doubt—because we can see futures and reason about them. A dog, for example, sees something and has an instant reaction. Food? Eat. Toy? Play. Tired? Sleep.

We think much further ahead. We try to predict consequences. We try to design where we want to be in a year from now.

As I mentioned last chapter, though, we cannot predict the future. At least, not the far future.

When doubt appears about something that is relevant now, then yes, doubt is relevant. Don’t ignore it. You have a choice now and need to figure out the right one.

When doubt appears about something further ahead, ignore it. It’s nothing more than wasting time. You can’t predict the future any better by waiting.

You know what does help make decisions? Getting more information. And you can only get more information by doing something.

When in doubt, pick anything and do it. Then reflect later if it was the right thing. If so, continue. Otherwise, do something else.

Prototyping

I usually prototype my projects for this reason.

When you get a new idea, it always feels exciting. This is what you should be working on! Not that other project you’re currently doing! Go do the new thing!

But the process from idea to execution is long and dangerous. By simply trying the new idea for a day or two, you get much more information. Is it actually good? Is it more difficult than I thought? Is it worth it?

Action destroys doubt.

Even if your prototype ends up shit and you are disappointed your idea doesn’t work, now you know. You don’t have to have doubts about it. You aren’t distracted by it. You know your current project is indeed the best choice, so you continue.

Certain tasks vs Creative tasks

I learned to divide tasks into two categories:

• Certain tasks: you’re certain you have to do this. There’s no creativity, no guesswork, nothing yet to be determined. It just has to be done.
• Creative tasks: you have to figure something out, find a solution for a problem, you’re not sure how to do the task.

The second type is much more exciting. When I make a game, I do so because I love inventing new systems, drawing cool icons, getting my idea working. I love the creative work.

That’s why I do first. Or, that’s what I try to do first.

But inspiration doesn’t always come. The well of creativity runs dry, especially after a few hours.

It’s useless to keep banging your head against that wall.

What to do?

When your creative tasks come to a halt, switch to certain tasks.

Recognize when you don’t have the energy or inspiration anymore. Recognize when that mountain is too high to climb. If so, ignore all your creative tasks, and switch to the easy and certain ones.

The take-away

Any time a human wants to do something, thoughts like “shouldn’t I do that other thing?” or “why would I even do this, why go through the effort” pop up.

Don’t completely ignore them. That’s what our harsh “discipline” would do: ignore doubt, ignore feelings, just force yourself through something.

Also don’t give in to them. As explained, it yields nothing.

Instead,

• Either pick any of the options and do it. Get more information, so you can stop doubting.
• Or switch to certain tasks that won’t lead to doubt.