simple things usually start messy. every "simple" solution i've made began as something much more complicated.

it's like when you try to write a short message, it often takes longer than a long one. you have to understand everything first, then cut out what you don't need.

starting messy

i used to think good products started simple. i was wrong. everything clean and simple i see today came from messy beginnings. look at the iphone, behind it are years of complicated work.

my best work always follows this pattern as much as possible:

• start messy
• make it work, even if it's complicated
• use it and learn from it
• cut out the extra stuff

like cleaning your room you have to see all the mess before you can organize it.

letting go

the hard part isn't adding stuff but it's knowing what to remove. i often get attached to clever ideas that just make things more complicated. learning to let go isn't easy.

experience

after building things for years, i spot patterns faster now. things that used to seem hard now feel obvious. but i had to go through the hard stuff first to learn these lessons.

sweet spot

everything doesnt have to be made tiny, it's to hide the complicated parts where they don't need to show. i love when people say "that's it?" about something that took months to simplify. simple things aren't simple because they were easy to make. they're simple because someone took the time to understand the mess and clean it up. that's what matters.