Sabotaging projects by overthinking, scope creep, and structural diffing
How overthinking and scope creep sabotage projects, with a woodworking win vs. diff tool fail.
Kevin reflects on two project outcomes: a quick, joyful woodworking shelf built with a friend over a weekend, and a 4-hour research rabbit hole on structural diff tools for reviewing LLM-generated code. The former succeeded due to clear success criteria (jam with a friend), while the latter failed because he overthought prior art, scope, and complexity. He notes that long-running interests like a Clojure-Rust hybrid language or CAD tool remain stuck in research mode, with fuzzy goals (e.g., 'replace my tools?' vs. 'learn for fun?') preventing synthesis and delivery. He urges embracing 'learning by doing' over 'learning by reading' to avoid paralysis.
Kevin introduces 'conservation of scope creep,' arguing that time wasted on overthinking is time not spent building. He recommends committing to minimal scope and quick prototypes to maintain momentum, even if outcomes are imperfect. The key lesson: define success criteria upfront to avoid the trap of endless research and maintain the joy of creation.
- Kevin built a woodworking shelf in a weekend by focusing on clear success criteria (enjoying time with a friend) rather than overthinking design.
- He wasted 4 hours researching structural diff tools for LLM code review, falling into a rabbit hole of prior art and MCP servers, before realizing he could build a simple Emacs solution in 4 hours.
- Long-running projects like a Clojure-Rust language or CAD tool remain stuck due to fuzzy goals, leading to hundreds of hours of research without a finished product.
Why It Matters
Overthinking and scope creep kill projects; clear success criteria and quick prototyping are key to shipping.