Steve Jobs Idea Critique
A short walk-and-think loop to pressure-test your ideas and cut the weakest one, Jobs-style.
4 time blocks, 45 minutes in total.
Time blocks
- Ask the mirror question: 5 min
Would you do today's plan if today were your last - Walk & think: 20 min
Walk without your phone and think one thing through - Kill your weakest idea: 15 min
Drop the idea you keep making excuses for - Note what's left: 5 min
Write the ideas that survived and why
About this routine
This is a Steve Jobs thinking routine, built from two habits he spoke about publicly. In his 2005 Stanford commencement address he described looking in the mirror each morning and asking whether he would want to do what he was about to do if it were the last day of his life. He was also known for holding walking meetings when he had something to work through.
It runs 45 minutes. The first 5 minutes are the mirror question, applied to the plan actually in front of you today. Then 20 minutes of walking without a phone, thinking one thing through rather than several.
The second half is the harder part. 15 minutes to drop the idea you keep making excuses for, then 5 minutes to write down what survived and why. Jobs said in 1997 that focusing means saying no to the other good ideas, and that is what this block is for. A routine timer keeps the walk from becoming the whole afternoon.
Why this routine works
- Turns a vague list of ideas into a decision
- Uses walking rather than a desk to think a problem through
- Forces one idea to be dropped every time you run it
- Leaves a written record of what survived and why
FAQ
What was Steve Jobs' mirror question?
In his 2005 Stanford commencement speech he said he asked himself each morning whether, if today were the last day of his life, he would want to do what he was about to do.
Did Steve Jobs really hold walking meetings?
Yes. Walking meetings were a well known part of how he worked, especially for one to one conversations and problems he wanted to think through.
How long does this Steve Jobs routine take?
45 minutes: 5 minutes on the mirror question, 20 minutes walking, 15 minutes cutting an idea, and 5 minutes writing up what is left.