Created by Rishabh Srivastava
This summary was largely done for my own note-taking, sharing it just in case it adds more value to other people.
I have no affiliation whatsoever with anyone in this note. This is a summary largely taken for my own reference, and may contain errors :)
Context
Main ideas:
1. Make sure that you are doing something worth shipping
Knowing The Dip Exists is a Heck of an Advantage
2. Don't burn out while you do
A Nuanced Take on Preventing Burnout
3. Only do things for which your enthusiasm half life is high
Enthusiasm Half-Life
4. Just fucking ship
Just F**cking Ship
Why is it important: Being aware of this will help you power through areas where you don't have enough flow, and things are just hard – but will get a lot better if you keep going. But it will also help you move your ass and ship fast
Keywords
Motivation, Shipping
A. Dealing with the Dip
Main ideas:
- Every skill worth getting good at has a dip. If there were no dip, then it would be too easy, and it wouldn’t be worth acquiring that skill. Memorable versions of this idea include Randy Pausch’s “The brick walls exist to keep others out”, and swyx’s “embrace the suck”
- Because dips are so difficult, you shouldn’t commit to a dip unless you’re sure it’s worth it. Another way of saying this is that the worst thing to do is to quit halfway through a dip — it’s much better to decide beforehand the conditions for quitting, instead of quitting in the thick of things
- Never quit out of panic. Quitting should always be thoughtful.
- There’s a difference between being persistent with a person or organisation, and being persistent with a market. If you’re trying to get past The Dip in a market — then powering through repeated rejection is absolutely worth it.
- The opposite of quitting isn’t ‘waiting around’. No, the opposite of quitting is rededication. If you decide to stick to something, then you should approach the dip with an ‘invigorated new strategy designed to break the problem apart’. The Dip is flexible — it becomes easier or harder to overcome depending on your approach. You might as well try to make it easier.