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AI Lab · by Priya Nair · 2026-09-09

A tiny story about bibimbap, Seoul and timing for absolute beginners

My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, I am much more likely to keep doing it.

> Tiny progress is still progress.

That line sounds cheesy, but it got me thru teh part where machinelearning stopped feeling new

665 sparks · 170 comments

Comments

Mango Coder · 91 likes

I think this advice is overrated. This is where I would ask one more question before choosing

Paolo Garcia · 211 likes

that is fair, but I still worry about maintenance

Kabir Khan · 2 likes

short answer: yes. Long answer: also yes

Omar Hassan · 5 likes

I was going to disagree, but your second sentence got me

Priya Nair · 1 likes

That is a good boundary

Paolo Garcia · 1 likes

Appreciate the nuance

Benjamín Rojas · 89 likes

that is a good question for people with more experiance than me. I would love to see a follow-up after 3 weeks

Emma Tremblay · 74 likes

This feels a little overrated to me, even if the intention is good. It sounds small, but the setup matters

Ren Suzuki · 9 likes

good clarification — I read it differently at first

Jasmine Cruz · 2 likes

Thanks for making it less intimidating

Pixel Noodle · 1 likes

I am stealing that phrase

Khalid Al Zahrani · 70 likes

That is a surprisingly elegant way to frame it. This is where I would ask one more question before choosing

Ren Suzuki · 42 likes

@midnight_khalid Could be regional too

Giulia Rossi · 64 likes

this is genuinely helpful, thanks for writing it out. The surprising part is easy to underestimate

Milan Visser · 11 likes

I like this more then the top-level advice

Siti Lim · 59 likes

I wish more posts had this much context. The a tiny balcony detail changes the whole answer

Gentle Noodle · 58 likes

Good reminder that boring can be good. It sounds small, but the tiny repair matters

João Pereira · 32 likes

I would love a follow-up example

Mateo Cruz · 54 likes

Honestly, great taste. I would write it down before changing anything else

Mia Bauer · 43 likes

I like the idea, but the setup probably matters a lot. I would love to see a follow-up after 2 weeks

Liam Eriksson · 41 likes

Can you share what you tried before this? I noticed the same thing in Mexico City. The boring solution is probably the reliable one here

Jan Nowak · 7 likes

The Tuesday test is undefeated

Sleepy Lantern · 34 likes

Good reminder that boring can be good. This is more useful on a tired winter than on a perfect day. I would love to see the benchmark numbers

Sleepy Coder · 34 likes

Anecdotally, this tracks with what I have seen. My friend tried it in Berlin and had the opposite result

Rafael Almeida · 31 likes

That is a good question for people with more experience than me. I noticed the same thing in Cape Town

Diego García · 50 likes

That sounds great until you add children/pets/deadlines

Paolo Garcia · 20 likes

@pixel_comet42 This is the gentle version of my rant

Rafael Almeida · 22 likes

The best answer in the thread, honestly

Isha Menon · 4 likes

@pixel_comet42 The best answer in the thread, honestly

Linh Tran · 1 likes

That is a good boundary

Mateo Cruz · 2 likes

@pixel_comet42 This is the kind of disagreement I like

Rafael Almeida · 11 likes

my wallet felt that

Liam Eriksson · 4 likes

@pixel_comet42 Short answer: yes. Long answer: also yes

Zeynep Demir · 49 likes

Thanks that actually helped

Liam Eriksson · 9 likes

That is a good boundary

Ren Suzuki · 4 likes

Same here. It took me too long to learn

Aoi Ito · 4 likes

@pixel_comet42 Now I want a spreadsheet

Priya Nair · 2 likes

Can you expand on that a bit?

Nicolás Díaz · 29 likes

good clarification — I read it differently at first

Amir Tan · 14 likes

That is a good boundary

Silver Mango · 6 likes

short answer: yes. Long answer: also yes

Curious Panda · 1 likes

noted, and thank you

Lucía García · 28 likes

I think this advice is overrated. I am curious whether tools still feels good next month. Naming things remains undefeated as the hardest problem

Diego Quispe · 1 likes

@lucia-96 My wallet felt that

Paolo Garcia · 0 likes

I was going to disagree, but your second sentence got me

Finn Brown · 28 likes

I would push back gently on the timing part. I noticed the same thing in Toronto. A small test case would make this easier to trust

Angel Reyes · 26 likes

There is probably a middle ground here. The a coworking table detail changes the whole answer

Theo Bennett · 25 likes

Love the tiny experiment energy. My only addition is to make the first step visible

Liam Eriksson · 22 likes

This made me smile more than expected. The low-effort version is probably the keeper

Bianca Santos · 21 likes

The framing feels off to me. Not terrible, just not convincing

Rohan Mehta · 19 likes

anecdotally, this tracks with what I have seen. The my desk detail changes the whole answer

Ananya Rao · 19 likes

Glad you shared it; small wins count. The delightful constraint is probably the real story

Aoi Ito · 7 likes

noted, and thank you

Ren Suzuki · 19 likes

Fair point, but I had the opposite experience. The quiet part is easy to underestimate

João Pereira · 19 likes

I agree with the goal and disagree with the method. The social part surprised me too

Sleepy Marauder · 19 likes

I like the idea, but the setup probably matters a lot. I learned that one the expensive way

Paolo Garcia · 17 likes

this made me smile more then expected. It sounds small but the route matters. This is exactly the kind of tradeoff teams argue about for weeks

Curious Atlas · 14 likes

Now I want a spreadsheet

Ethan Brooks · 12 likes

This. Exactly this

Khalid Al Zahrani · 21 likes

Thanks for making it less intimidating

Maja Wiśniewska · 10 likes

Thanks for making it less intimidating

Paolo Garcia · 4 likes

Same here. It took me too long to learn

Marco Conti · 6 likes

I would pin this if I could

Miguel Santos · 6 likes

You just saved me a bad purchase

Tola Ibrahim · 10 likes

Now I want a spreadsheet

Thandi Mokoena · 8 likes

yep, the boring details matter

Ren Suzuki · 6 likes

Exactly; the hidden cost is energy

Nour Ali · 17 likes

Excellent timing; I was just thinking about absolute. I care less about the perfect answer and more about repeatability

Curious Panda · 16 likes

What would you change if you started over? I would test it for 2 days before deciding

Camille Dubois · 3 likes

I laughed, but you are not wrong

Priya Nair · 0 likes

Respectfully, I see it the other way

Gentle Rider · 2 likes

Beautifully concise

Theo Bennett · 15 likes

Excellent timing; I was just thinking about bibimbap. That is where the boring checklist helps

Tola Ibrahim · 14 likes

This reminds me of something a friend in Berlin mentioned. I would write it down before changing anything else

Camille Dubois · 12 likes

I am saving this for teh next time I overthink bibimbap. Honestly, teh simplest version wins for me

Faisal Al Saud · 12 likes

That last line is excellent. This would have saved me a lot of trial and error

Camila Rocha · 12 likes

I would push back gently on the beginners part. I would love to see a follow-up after 10 weeks

Avery Johnson · 7 likes

@solar_marauder73 Kind of wild how often push is the whole issue

Cian Kelly · 12 likes

The context helps. Without it I would have assumed the opposite. My only addition is to make the first step visible

Siti Lestari · 12 likes

I wonder how much of this depends on timing. The delightful constraint is probly the real story

Noé Petit · 11 likes

wonderful detail. It makes the whole thing feel real

Tomás Gómez · 11 likes

You explained the tradeoff realy clearly. Honestly, the simplest version wins for me

Quiet Mango · 10 likes

that is a surprisingly elegant way to frame it. My only addition is to make the first step visible

Pixel Fern · 10 likes

what happened after the first week? I am curious whether story stayed easy. I care less about the perfect answer and more about repeatability. This is exactly the kind of tradeoff teams argue about for weeks

Noah Miller · 9 likes

Great point, especially the part about tiny. The 10-minute rule is underrated

Liam Eriksson · 9 likes

maybe, but the tradeoff seems bigger then the post suggests

Sleepy Panda · 2 likes

could be regional too

Camila Soto · 9 likes

You explained the tradeoff really clearly. My only addition is to make the first step visible. Naming things remains undefeated as the hardest problem

Ethan Brooks · 9 likes

Beautifully put. I needed that reminder today. The Madrid example makes it feel concrete

Mia Anderson · 9 likes

This has cozy competence written all over it. I learned that one the expensive way

Sofía Hernández · 8 likes

This is genuinely helpful thanks for writing it out. I would write it down before changing anything else

Haruto Sato · 8 likes

there is a hidden assumption here that not everyone shares. The social part surprised me too

Sofía Hernández · 8 likes

The timing angle is what sold me. I would test it for 6 days before deciding

Minji Kim · 7 likes

I would not call it wrong, just incomplete. I would write it down before changing anything else

Ananya Rao · 7 likes

Helpful and not preachy, wich is rare. That is the kind of detail beginners miss

Theo Bennett · 6 likes

This is useful for some cases, but terrible advice if the stakes are high. I care less about the perfect answer and more about repeatability

Camille Dubois · 8 likes

You just saved me a bad purchase

Sleepy Sparrow · 6 likes

This is adorable and oddly motivating. I learned that one the expensive way

Hana Choi · 6 likes

Beautifully put. I needed that reminder today. That is where the boring checklist helps. This is exactly the kind of tradeoff teams argue about for weeks

Isha Menon · 6 likes

maybe, but the tradeoff seems bigger than the post suggests. That is the kind of detail beginners miss