Outside In

There’s this pithy quote from Carl Sagan: “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” I like that quote. It’s a good reminder that nothing is really “square one.” Everything builds on something else, is made from something else, was learned somewhere else. All starting points are more or less arbitrary.

Because of that, people sometimes pick bad ones.

Here’s a rule: if you’re doing something to learn, start as small as you can. If you’re doing something to get it done, start big.

If you want to learn woodworking, start with just a knife and a small stick and carve it up a little. Get a feel for how wood moves. Small, small.

If you want to have a house, start with understanding how a house fits in your life and consider location, style, scope. Big, big.

In other words, go from the inside out if you want to learn in an open-ended way so you can build on your skills and never box yourself in. Start with the outside in if you want to accomplish a specific goal so you can understand the proper context and then zero in without scope creep.

Pick the right starting point. And enjoy your pie.