> [!Note] > Consider this a follow-up / companion piece to [[What is Stopping Me Right Now]]. When I’m feeling out of sorts or need to get something done but I’m not sure what to do, I fall back on a trick that always worked for me in academia: starting with the problem. The reality is that if you don’t have a well-defined problem, you are going to have trouble creating a strong solution. Take using [[Obsidian]] as an example. I evangelize for this app so much that you’d think they’re paying me.[^1] But when people I know get interested in it, they download it and get stuck before they can start with it. I think this is because the problem you’re trying to solve by downloading is poorly defined. For me, **Obsidian** is a tool for: 1. Addressing mental squeeze points when I’m feeling overwhelmed (privately) 2. A place to run this very blog by outlining, drafting and posting both long-form posts like these and my notes on media My second use-case is slightly uniquer, I’d gather. But the first I’d argue is universal. This is particularly important because as you trudge through this fuck-ass, head-ass, difficult-ass thing called life, you get used to adapting *around* squeeze points instead of addressing the problem directly. To the point that recognizing those squeeze points can take a lot of effort and reflection — maybe more energy than you’re willing to spend. However, I’d argue that once you start recognizing these issues, you can start measuring against a more well-defined problem, and solve it. As I’ve [[Notes and Thinking and Context of Use|mentioned before]], my use case for a thing will be different than yours. If you see me being (allegedly) productive with my use of Obsidian, and you think Obsidian will let you be as productive, you *might* make some gains. But even if you do, they won’t be as large, and they’ll be dependent on what I’m doing. I’m dumb and you shouldn’t listen to me. What I can do to wrap this up is show you a list of squeeze points that I’ve come to recognize. You may see yourself in some of them! If you do, that’s a problem you can start defining further, and then solving against it. - Inability (or friction) in recall - Inability to retrieve - Inability to explain - Inability to persuade - Inability to assemble problems - Inability to assess problem importance - Inability to prioritize - Inability to moderate attention - Inability to write - Inability to abstract Hope this helps! [^1]: they’re not, but hey, kepano, if you’re reading this i’m open :)