Rework jason fried

Reasons to quit 
 
It's easy to put your head down and just work on what you think needs to be done. 
It's a lot harder to pull your head up and ask why. Here are some important questions to 
ask yourself to ensure you're doing work that matters: Why are you doing this? Ever 
find yourself working on something without knowing exactly why? Someone just told 
you to do it. It's pretty common, actually. That's why it's important to ask why 
you'reworking on______. What is this for? Who benefits? What's the motivation behind 
it? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you better understand the work 
itself. What problem are you solving? What's the problem? Are customers confused? 
Are you confused? Is something not clear enough? Was something not possible before 
that should be possible now? Sometimes when you ask these questions, you'll find you're 
solving an imaginary problem. That's when it's time to stop and reevaluate what the hell 

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you're doing. Is this actually useful? Are you making something useful or just making 
something? It's easy to confuse enthusiasm with usefulness. Sometimes it's fine to play a 
bit and build something cool. But eventually you've got to stop and ask yourself if it's 
useful, too. Cool wears off. Useful never does. Are you adding value? Adding 
something is easy; adding value is hard. Is this thing you're working on actually making 
your product more valuable for customers? Can they get more out of it than they did 
before? Sometimes things you think are adding value actually subtract from it. Too much 
ketchup can ruin the fries. Value is about balance. Will this change behavior? Is what 
you're working on really going to change anything? Don't add something unless it has a 
real impact on how people use your product. Is there an easier way? Whenever you're 
working on something, ask, "Is there an easier way?" You'll often find this easy way is 
more than good enough for now. Problems are usually pretty simple. We just imagine 
that they require hard solutions. What could you be doing instead? What can't you do 
because you're doing this? This is especially important for small teams with constrained 
resources. That's when prioritization is even more important. If you work on A, can you 
still do B and C before April? If not, would you rather have B and C instead of A? If 
you're stuck on something for a long period of time, that means there are other things 
you're not getting done. Is it really worth it? Is what you're doing really worth it? Is this 
meeting worth pulling six people off their work for an hour? Is it worth pulling an all-
nighter tonight, or could you just finish it up tomorrow? Is it worth getting all stressed out 
over a press release from a competitor? Is it worth spending your money on advertising? 
Determine the real value of what you're about to do before taking the plunge.  
 
Keep asking yourself (and others) the questions listed above. You don't need to 
make it a formal process, but don't let it slide, either. 
 
Also, don't be timid about your conclusions. Sometimes abandoning what you're 
working on is the right move, even if you've already put in a lot of effort. Don't throw 
good time after bad work. 
 
 
 

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