publishing imperfectly

mental models

working with the garage door open:
- popularised by Andy Matuschak
- exposing process + half-baked ideas + struggles to public, rather than just final, polished product
MVP for ideas:
- borrowing from software dev
- what’s absolute minimum amount of text needed to capture concept?
- unfinished thought = MVP to be iterated on later
Cunningham’s Law:
- “the best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it’s to post the wrong answer.”
- publishing imperfectly invites corrections ➡️ accelerates learning
perfectionism as procrastination:
- waiting for note to be “ready” = often defence mechanism against criticism
Wabi-Sabi:
- Japanese aesthetic + philosophy centred on acceptance of transience + imperfection

epistemic status / confidence tags:
- using tags signals to reader (also self) that work’s in *progress
  - #seedling: just planted, rough
  - #budding: growing, connecting
  - #evergreen: refined
version history over finality:
- digital garden notes never “published” in trad sense; merely synced
80/20 rule for notes:
- 80% of value of note captured in first 20% of time spent writing it—rest formatting + endless tweaking

“Done is better than perfect.” — Sheryl Sandberg
“If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” — Reid Hoffman
“Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed.” — Ray Bradbury

vulnerability of sharing: re Brené Brown’s work on vulnerability
Zettelkasten method: small, atomic notes don’t need to be perfect essays
feedback loop: public writing acts as mirror to clarify thinking
high friction vs. low friction workflows: why perfectionism destroys momentum