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How do you decide whether to start research from the details or from the big picture?

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How do you decide whether to start research from the details or from the big picture? Choosing between top-down and bottom-up without overthinking it Framing the question Deciding whether to start with the  big picture vs details in research  is really about choosing the right zoom level:  top-down  or  bottom-up . Top-down research begins from goals, strategy, and hypotheses; bottom-up research starts from observations, data, and concrete problems. The trap is defaulting to your favorite mode instead of matching the approach to the risk and the decision in front of you. This guide gives you a simple way to choose your starting point—and language you can share with colleagues—so everyone understands  why  you’re beginning top-down or bottom-up on a project. The Two Lenses: Big Picture (Top-Down) vs Details (Bottom-Up) Most research mistakes are really zoom mistakes: Too wide, and you never commit. Too close, and you perfect the wrong thing. Think of yo...
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How do you decide what not to work on when planning your year?

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How do you decide what not to work on when planning your year? <  1x The underrated skill of strategic quitting and intentional neglect. Big-picture framing Deciding what not to work on when planning your year is often more powerful than adding another ambitious goal. By cutting projects and habits that don’t support your direction, you free up bandwidth for work that actually moves the needle. This question isn’t just about productivity; it’s about what you want this year to mean—and which commitments quietly get in the way of that. When you learn to consciously decide what not to work on, your calendar starts to reflect your real priorities, not just your loudest obligations. Why deciding what not to work on matters Most annual plans obsess over new goals—launch the product, get promoted, start the podcast. But the quieter, sharper move is to ask,  “What will I  not  do this year?”  When you decide what not to work on up front, you’re really choosing how yo...
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Who’s Actually at the Table on AI Ethics?

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Who’s Actually at the Table on AI Ethics? Mapping the people in the room before we argue who’s in charge Big picture Conversations about  AI ethics  often jump straight to blame: Who  should  be responsible when something goes wrong? This post takes a gentler, more structural angle. Instead of choosing winners or assigning fault, we simply name who is usually at the table when AI tools are built, deployed, used, and felt in the real world. By mapping those players—developers, product teams, platforms, policymakers, professionals, and impacted communities—you gain a clearer lens for any future debate about responsibility. Think of this as a stakeholder map you can carry into meetings, strategy sessions, and everyday conversations about AI. Why this isn’t a “who’s to blame” question Asking “Who’s actually at the table on AI ethics?” is different from asking “Who’s guilty if things go wrong?” It’s more like walking into a busy kitchen and first asking: Who’s cooking? Wh...
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What’s really going on with office politics (and how do you decode it)?

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What’s really going on with office politics (and how do you decode it)? Reading the hidden system at work so your effort actually counts Framing the real question Most of us bump into  office politics  and think, “Ugh, drama.” But what’s  really  going on is a hidden system of power, relationships, and incentives that sits underneath job titles and org charts. If you learn to read that system—office politics, workplace politics, company politics—you stop being blindsided and start understanding why certain ideas fly while others quietly die. The deeper question is this:  how can you decode that system without becoming fake or manipulative? In this post, we’ll walk through how office politics actually work, how to spot the invisible rules in your environment, and how to navigate them in a way that still feels like  you . Seeing the hidden system behind office politics The loud version of office politics is gossip, cliques, and power plays. The real version i...
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