The cost of starting over after properly establishing constraints is tiny. In contrast, the cost of making up constraints after we’ve already started what we believe is a great idea is enormous.
Constraints aren’t limitations but clarity. They tell us who we’re serving, what problems we’re solving, what values we won’t compromise, what success looks like.
Without clear constraints, every idea seems possible. Every opportunity feels worth pursuing. Every direction appears promising.
It’s easy to think that removing constraints gives us flexibility and freedom, but the reality is that without them, we have chaos.
When we start with a ‘great idea’ instead of clear constraints, we build on shifting ground, make decisions without context, and create solutions searching for problems.
So the hard work isn’t in the execution but in defining the boundaries that make the execution meaningful.
Better to pause and establish our constraints now than to realize later we’ve built something that doesn’t solve any real problems or serve our true purpose.