:PROPERTIES:
:ID:       b62c61f1-ee12-4bd9-b59a-ec6eafe29f38
:END:
#+title: Unnecessary optimizations cripple progress
#+date: "2021-07-05 12:36:41 +08:00"
#+date_modified: "2021-07-15 07:23:10 +08:00"
#+language: en


- while [[id:0e2c9eaf-f12a-47b2-9c9c-d1a590db131b][Involuntary attention switch is good for preventing tunnel vision]] — e.g., trying out new things, window shopping for better tools — it can go into a case of optimizing every choice
- this is a form of analyzing too much except we're acting upon our choices;
  remember: [[roam:Overanalyzing slow you down]]
- additionally, you could think of this addiction from taking too much advantages as you can;
  it always create the impression that there is an absolute way to do it and you just haven't figured it out yet;
  recall that [[id:9a9163d7-502b-4540-b723-e15afba1e917][Tradeoffs lock yourself in a position]]
- unnecessary optimizations are unnecessary wasting of time that could've been used for something else more worthy;
  the problem, however, is it can be addicting
- this is affecting people of all walks of life that it has various names: productivity porn, yak shaving, and pre-optimizing software;
  in other words, the perfectionist stereotype
- a lot of the improvements we do often comes from new ideas;
  thus, there is an incentive to present it as a new and shiny thing that you should try it out;
  sometimes this easily reaches [[id:909b4830-72c8-4943-be47-efaf77e40253][Professional narcissism]]
- most of the time, this can be harmful:
  + this can be seen with self-help and productivity culture with gurus presenting themselves as someone who finally figured it out how to get into a constant productive state — e.g., a new method of note-taking, habit management methods, productivity applications showcase
  + part of the Linux ricing desktop community where software are fetishized to make their computing experience to be more productive — e.g., text editors galore, tiling window managers versus traditional desktops, command line versus graphical tools, quests for mouseless computing, learning new keyboard layouts
  + the gaming community has much emphasis on how to game more effectively with specialized mice and keyboards, wide monitors, and software setups
  + on programming, there is a tendency for making the optimized program at early stages or unnecessary optimizations on non-critical code
- the simplest solution is to get into the mindset of "good enough" and reflecting if it is really worth it at the end;
  remember that [[id:df20e58b-6d38-4ace-8468-413bc708c772][Most of the work is done from smaller amount of effort]]