I recently read a great article on the evolution of the bicycle – why it appeared when it did, and why it took so long to reach it’s current design iteration.
The correct design was not obvious – Initially people were focused on building a better carriage, or a better horse, and that the idea and value of a bicycle-like design was not clear or even desired. The iterations that appeared on the market were so different from each other, and so far from the final design, that it’s difficult to appreciate why it took so long for the correct solution to be arrived at.
The timing also had to be right with regards to technology, materials, and manufacturing. Early bicycles lacked the modern chain-driven system as the technology, the means of production and quality materials just didn’t exist yet.
I think there’s two lessons here for life:
- We set plans as if we know exactly what the future will look like, and the exact correct solution to solve the problem, yet interestingly the plan changes as we’re exposed to new information and situations. We should embrace not that the plan might deviate, but that it must.
- It’s worth taking time to recognize dependencies – where a project is blocked because another initiative that has yet to take place. Then, consider the order of operations and rough priority of work. Otherwise, you’ll run around trying to make projects on the tasks around you, only to find they’re each blocked by one another.