Work Backwards from Perfect, Then Compromise
Inspired by Anuj Rathi episode
Anuj Rathi: start with the end state. In a perfect world, what would this look like? Now figure out how. Don't start with constraints.
Anuj Rathi teaches working backwards: start with the ideal end state, then work back to reality. Amazon invented this with PR FAQs. Most people do the opposite—they start with what's easy and call it progress.
Perfect world: your toddler independently gets dressed, eats breakfast, brushes teeth, and walks out the door like a tiny functioning adult. So you work backwards. They need clothes without buttons they'll spend twenty minutes analyzing. Breakfast they can't weaponize. A toothbrush they can reach without climbing the toilet like it's Everest. A routine so clear even you might follow it.
You won't achieve perfect. The toast will still end up in the couch cushions. But working backwards from perfect beats working forwards from "please God just put on pants."
Start with the ideal customer experience, then figure out what's actually possible. Start with the ideal morning, then compromise where physics demands it.
