#24 Build With Intention | The Pattern I Keep Catching Myself In

Hello Reader

I need to tell you about a pattern I keep catching myself in.

Maybe you'll recognise it too.

Intention

Here's what happens:

I finish building something. It's ready to ship. The product works. The code is clean. The docs are written.

And instead of putting it in front of people, I start building the next thing.

New feature. New idea. New project.

Anything but the uncomfortable work of actually telling people what I made.

I tell myself it's not ready yet. That one more feature will make it better. I just need to polish this one thing first.

But that's not what's really happening.

What's really happening is: building feels safe. Distribution feels exposed.

Insight

Building is a closed loop. You write code. It works, or it doesn't. The feedback is immediate and objective.

Distribution is an open loop. You put something out. People respond - or they don't. The feedback is slow, personal, and uncertain.

One feels like progress. The other feels like a risk. So we default to the one that feels like progress - even when the real progress is somewhere else.

I've caught myself doing this more times than I want to admit.

Shipping a tool, then immediately starting the next one instead of writing about it.

Finishing a spec, then reaching for more features instead of finding design partners.

Building when I should be selling.

The work that moves things forward is rarely the work that feels comfortable.

Action

If you're building something right now, ask yourself:

Am I building because it's the right next step? Or because it's the easier one?

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is close the IDE and send the email.

Sometimes "ready" isn't a feature count. It's a decision.

A Note

If this resonates, and you want help getting unstuck in your journey, I'm opening a few coaching spots.

​Apply here →​

📚 This Week's Reading

From 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan:

The build loop is comfortable. Letting it go to do the harder work, that takes courage.

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What are you building with intention this week? I look forward to your response.

Build well.
Sahil