Once Better, Can't Go Back
Inspired by Kunal Shah episode
Once better, can't go back—when efficiency gains are big enough, behavior changes permanently. Like sleep training, honestly.
Kunal Shah calls it Delta 4 - when an efficiency gain is so big (4+ points out of 10), it's irreversible, you tolerate all its failures, and you won't shut up about it. Once you've used Uber, black cabs feel medieval.
Once your kid sleeps through the night, you can't go back. The first time they do it, you wake up in a panic at 6am thinking they're dead. They're fine. You're fine. Everything is fine and you will never, ever wake them for a feeding again. Medieval.
Once they're potty trained, the diaper aisle feels like a museum of your former life. Once they can dress themselves, helping them feels wrong, like you're interrupting their process.
But it works in reverse. Once they've had screen time, quiet play is just staring at objects. Once they've tasted candy, fruit is a vegetable. The delta is real. The change sticks. And you can't warn yourself hard enough before you introduce the thing you'll never be able to take back.
