Do Not Optimize for the Pocket
Lesson in knowing what you want
Years ago, my friend Joe got one of the first big iPhone Max models—bulky, bold, a real game-changer. At a startup event, someone asked him, “Does it even fit in your pocket?” Joe looked puzzled and said, “Why would I optimize for my pocket?”
Brilliant, right? A phone’s not about how it sits in your jeans—it’s about how it feels in your hands, how it powers your calls, emails, work, browsing. It’s a productivity tool, not a fashion accessory. That moment stuck with me.
It’s so easy to get caught up optimizing for the process—how things feel while we’re doing them—when we should be laser-focused on the outcome.
Think about it: when you choose a car, are you prioritizing how sleek it looks or how safely and quickly it gets you places? When picking a place to live, are you chasing aesthetics or what the space actually delivers for your life? This applies big-time to AI, too.
A while back, I was using AI as a fork, stabbing it in my food, trying to eat faster. I’d ask Cursor to write me some code, and it would spit out an answer in a minute, all proud, like, “Hooray, done!” But the code? Often wrong or half-baked. I’d spend hours tweaking, nudging, correcting—basically babysitting the AI. I was optimizing for the process of using a fork, not the outcome I wanted: food. What I needed to do was to teach my AI to make solid functional code. I didn’t need to correct it, or watch it, I just needed it to work.
So, I flipped the script. I built automation to make the AI deliver better results. It took a few months to figure out what I needed to do, but now, even if it takes 20 minutes instead of one to deliver results, the AI delivers fully baked products.
Now, I say, “Build this app,” walk away, and come back to something that actually works. I mean, fully functional app, to spec, with everything in it, in one pass. That’s outcome-driven thinking.
The lesson? Stop optimizing for the pocket, of course!
Focus on what you’re trying to achieve. Whether it’s choosing tools, designing workflows, or using AI, prioritize the end goal. Build systems, automate where you can, and let the outcome guide you. You’ll save time, energy, and maybe even a little sanity. So, next time you’re making a choice or tackling a task, ask yourself: am I optimizing for the process or the outcome? Don’t settle for a phone that fits your pocket if it doesn’t deliver what you need.
— Kirill.
ps. Remember that last post, when I asked you whether to quit or to pivot with the GA4 product? Well, we got 75 new signups overnight, I built automation to handle everything hands-off, and I think Kerry and I have figured out how to bend SEO market to our will. All is well that ends well — see, don’t worry about the process, just focus on the outcome!
