A phrase my previous manager and now mentor used to say to focus the team was ‘don’t boil the ocean.’
His point is that meaningful work isn’t achieved by trying to solve everything a once.
In fact, attempting to do that — attempting to boil the ocean — leads to very little progress if any.
Instead, it’s infinitely more effective to focus intensely on one important problem, implement an acceptable solution, and then move on to the next.
I may not always feel like you’re doing as much work, but you’ll certainly end up accomplishing more.
Smooth is fast.
Fast is priority.
-- A
Lines such as this:
Kind of like : you don't have to be a
Or you don't have to be as buff as
They are true, but present ineffective
I believe this to be the case because of two reasons.
1. people immediately shut out things that feel obvious. They'll say "oh i already heard that" "i already know that" and they'll move along as before.
2. even if they do listen because maybe the adage is a new one to them or they happen to feel more open minded that day -- they don't know what to do next.
Like if i don't need to be a billionaire to be happy then are you saying i should be a 9-figure millionaire? 8-figure millionaire?
If not as buff as Arnold are you telling me I should be -- blah blah blah.
The though i had as I was closing out my housework was that it'd be more effective to question what one's temperature is. What volume of water are you able to boil.
Are you a quarter gallon
Are you a industrial vat?
Tell someone don't boil the ocean they'll go try to boil a lake. When what would be most useful is probably asking.. what can i boil?