We often start with the easy stuff. It feels productive—small wins, minimal risk, a sense of momentum—but in reality, it could be a distraction from tackling the harder challenges. As Astro Teller, Director of X (a Google company), said on Simon Sinek’s podcast, A Bit of Optimism, most people solve the easiest problems first because there’s no risk (look out for the Shakespeare-reciting monkey reference in the pod episode 😂🙈 ). But that’s not where breakthroughs happen.
I recently spoke with a human factors engineer at a large tech company who mentioned that his team takes the opposite approach. They dive into the hardest, most impactful problems first. Why? Because that’s where you find real innovation. It’s tempting to stick to low-risk tasks, but doing so often means avoiding the real, impactful work.
Economist Mariana Mazzucato advocates for taking on big, audacious goals—what she calls “moonshots.” She argues that working toward these larger, more impactful goals isn’t just about the end result; it’s about driving progress in ways that smaller, safer tasks never could. The harder the problem, the more we stretch our thinking, challenge our habits, and push the boundaries of what’s possible.
So what’s the lesson? Start with what’s hardest, the areas with the most potential for impact. The biggest challenges force us to confront our biases and habits, pushing us to grow. It’s uncomfortable, sure, but it’s where real progress is made. Embrace the hard stuff first, and the rest will follow.
Listen to the Moonshot episode with Astro Teller on Simon Sinek’s podcast here.
Learn more about Mariana Mazzucato’s work here.