#Creative Discipline

The Power of Taking Simple Ideas Seriously

To operationalize Auden’s counsel, compress your idea to one sentence, then choose a hard metric that would prove it works. Next, run small, rapid experiments, pruning anything that does not serve the core. Toyota’s Production System exemplified this cadence by obsessing over one aim—eliminate waste—through countless iterative improvements (Taiichi Ohno, 1978). Finally, institutionalize learning: write down what failed, automate what succeeded, and revisit the premise at regular intervals. In this way, a simple idea stops being a slogan and becomes a system that compounds. [...]

If You Wish to Be a Writer, Write — Epictetus

Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher, often taught about personal responsibility and direct action. This quote aligns with Stoic principles, urging individuals to actively work toward their goals instead of merely desiring them. [...]