Realized I was asking the wrong questions for 2 years in this sub

I kept posting here asking 'what's the best way to learn X' or 'how do I get started with Y'. Then last month someone replied and said 'you're asking the wrong thing, ask what you actually want to accomplish'. That got me thinking. I had been asking vague questions just to hear myself talk. Has anyone else caught themselves doing that and changed how they ask?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_nina20d ago

@noah_barnes has a point, but I think that wide net can make things worse sometimes. I used to ask "what's the best blender for smoothies" and got 50 different answers with no clue which one actually fit my tiny kitchen. Once I forced myself to be specific like "I need a blender that fits under my low cabinets and can handle frozen fruit without chunks" the replies actually helped me buy the right thing. Getting a too-broad set of answers can just leave you more stuck than before, especially if you're the kind of person who gets overwhelmed by options.

noah_barnes21d ago

Nah, I disagree. Asking vague stuff like "how do I get started" is fine. It gets you a wide net of answers, and sometimes you stumble into something you didn't know you needed. Overthinking what you want to accomplish before you even start is a waste of time. I've seen people spend months trying to get the perfect question lined up and never actually do anything. Just ask the dumb question, get some replies, and figure it out from there.