Kyle Steinike

First Principles: The Building Blocks of True Knowledge

“A way to think about it is, innovation requires variation. And in manufacturing—six sigma, all that stuff—you’re trying to reduce variation.

The fundamental manufacturing paradigm is to reduce variation, and the fundamental creative paradigm is to increase it.”

Do I need to spend more time searching for better information or do I need to spend more time acting on the information I already have? Is the bottleneck strategy or execution?

“It is nearly impossible to have your best idea the first time you think about something.

The most likely way to uncover important insights is to frequently revisit a problem. The longer you’re in the game, the more ideas bubble up to the surface.

Time unlocks insights.”

“One way to stand out is to look for pockets of low competition.

Wake up early—less traffic, fewer people.

Go deeper or narrower in your field—less noise, more space.

People are drawn to where it is crowded. Look for the quiet spaces inside your areas of interest. Excellence often hides at the edges.”

“Keep ignoring feedback and life will keep teaching you the same lesson.”