20240429

When I start something new, I often spend more time setting things up than actually doing the task. I think a lot of people get the importance of a good setup wrong, underestimating how vital it is.

 

Take the Wright brothers, for example. Everyone knows they invented the airplane, but their real genius wasn’t just the invention itself. They laid the groundwork for modern methods of developing flight. Unlike their competitors, who tested their designs by actually flying them, the Wright brothers used wind tunnel experiments. They realized that simulating wind conditions on the ground was just as effective as testing in flight. This approach saved them a ton of money and allowed them to make improvements without the risk of crashing an actual plane. They drastically cut down the cost and sped up the development process, outpacing their rivals.

 

Abraham Lincoln once said that if he had ten hours to chop down a tree, he’d spend eight sharpening his axe. This underscores that nothing worthwhile can be done in a hurry and highlights the importance of preparation. It suggests that a lot of trials follow, so we should think about how to make these experiments more efficient, which naturally leads to better results.