Embracing thinking... carefully

All of a sudden it seems to be events season (yes there is an event season). I have been on the road quite a bit recently, and away from the office. Whenever this happens what always strikes me is just how inefficient all this travelling is.

At your desk, it seems easy to keep up with all the tasks, but step away, once you are stuck on a train or in a live presentation and the whole routine falls apart…

However let’s face facts, you just cannot get through the same volume of work…!

These days it certainly feels like there is a lot of pressure to be busy.? Getting lots of things done, ticked off on the to do sheet, feels good.? We like it and we like it when those around us at busy too. If there is an email we need to respond quickly, if something needs to be done we get to it straight away... speed sometimes seems more important than accuracy.

Many years ago Albert Einstein said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions”…

Our modern-day equivalent seems to be more “If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 10 minutes responding with quick solutions, 10 minutes bouncing ideas off colleagues on the local WhatsApp group checking what I said was correct followed by 20 minutes sketching out initial implementations followed by a further 30 minutes ‘ironing out’ issues so it sort of works” (it does not add to 60min I know!)… I blame social media.

I feel all of this need for speed leaves little room for considered thinking and decision-making. With a premium on responding quickly, rather than responding accurately, this can be problematic.

Fortunately, at the end of some of my recent journeys, I have been lucky enough to listen to some great speakers.? Some of these have been from more academic pursuits and it struck me how thinking things through carefully can really help in building innovative great solutions.? It does however take some time and with all of the chatter of the day to day, in the office, this is something that is all too easy not to do… especially when that next deadline is due.

Yet, watching SpaceX ‘catch’ their rocket last week, it really brought it home.? Spending the time to think and plan can build some amazing things.? It was indeed an impressive sight...and for those not aware the machine is huge… for example this photo here.

https://x.com/MarcusHouse/status/1846683558070603951

These achievements are of course more than just one person, a great team, and it is not just a one-off.?

Just take a look at the evolution of their rocket engines for example… again, this is impressive, both in terms of specialisation and simplification (and no doubt cost and reliability).

https://twitter.com/EvaFoxU/status/1819650208734548303/photo/1

… and it turns out the thinking process they use is fascinating.? Yes this sent me down a rabbit hole… pointers from Elon Musk

• Make requirements less dumb.? Requirements are often too generic. This is a reason for failure. Take time to plan, test and really understand any assumptions.
• Delete the parts of the process. ?Delete to the point your need to add stuff back in.? If you are not having to add stuff back in you have not deleted enough.
• Simplify or optimise the design. Take a holistic view simplify what is needed, make sure you are optimising only processes that are needed.
• Accelerate cycle time. But, make sure you are moving in the right direction first.
• Automate. Again make sure it is actually needed.

Throughout there is this focused emphasis on thinking through the problem (often from first principles) and then slowly, deliberately taking action, each step, once correct, building on the next.?

It doesn’t sound like rushing around.? It does sound an awful lot like deliberate, careful, compounding activity to build amazing things.

So now back in the office… with all busy activity back underway… it is something to reflect on.