Scoping

Overview

The Core Insight

We often blame our lack of progress on a lack of discipline. We tell ourselves, "I just don't have the willpower."

To be honest, willpower is rarely the main problem; Scope is.

In software development, we use a term called "Scope Creep." It happens when a simple project slowly expands until it becomes a monster that feels impossible to finish. If you feel overwhelmed, it probably isn't because you lack the ability to learn. It's often because you're trying to view the whole galaxy, rather than looking through a telescope at a single star.

The Mental Model: The Telescope

Imagine standing on a cliff edge looking at a massive landscape. That landscape is the subject you want to learn (e.g., "Coding" or "Gardening"). If you try to take it all in at once, your eyes might glaze over. It’s too much data.

Scoping is the act of pulling out a Telescope.

When you look through a telescope, two things happen:

1. Magnification: The specific thing you're looking at becomes clear, detailed, and actionable.
2. Visual Exclusion: Everything else - the distractions, the adjacent skills, the overwhelming possibilities - is cropped out of your field of view.

We want to construct a "Field of View" that's small enough to manage but big enough to matter.

How to do it

Step 1: Stabilize the View (The Intent)

A telescope is hard to use if it's shaking around; you need a steady base to see clearly. We often skip this setup because we just want to "start," but without an anchor, our focus tends to drift.

Write down a Statement of Intent using one of these templates to stabilize your aim:

• Template A: The Builder (Outcome-Focused)
  • Structure: "I want to learn [Skill] so that I can [Specific Outcome]".
  • Example: "I want to learn 3D modeling so that I can print a coat hook".
• Template B: The Explorer (Curiosity-Focused)
  • Structure: "I want to understand [Topic] so that I [Specific Desire]".
  • Example: "I want to understand local history so that I feel more connected to my neighborhood."

Step 2: Adjust the Focus (The Definition of Done)

Now we need to zoom in. In software development, we use a "Definition of Done" to agree on exactly when a task is finished. Since learning has no natural end point (you can study forever), you have to artificially create one.

You need to shift your focus from The Landscape to The Subject.

• The Landscape (Wide & Vague): "I want to learn Spanish."
  • The Problem: You'll never be "done" with Spanish. It's too wide to fit in the lens.
• The Subject (Specific & Sharp): "I want to order a coffee in Spanish."
  • The Benefit: This is binary. You either get the coffee, or you don't. It's attainable.

The Rule of Thumb: If you can't visualize exactly what "finished" looks like, your scope is likely too wide. Zoom in further.

Step 3: The Blackout (Conscious Exclusion)

This is the hardest part. When you look through the telescope, the barrel blocks out the rest of the world. You're choosing to ignore everything outside the lens.

When we start learning, we see "shiny objects" - related topics that look fun. We feel like if we don't learn them now, we're doing it wrong. We need to list these as Anti-Goals or Out of Scope.

• The Action: Create a list titled "Out of Scope".
• The Audit: Scan your "Subject." Are there things you're trying to squeeze into the frame that don't belong?
  • Example: If your goal is to "Build a Birdhouse," then "Learning to chop down a tree" is likely Out of Scope. You can just buy wood.
• The Benefit: These aren't dead ends; they are future observations. By writing them down, you give your brain permission to ignore them for now.

Activities

The 5-Minute Scope

Grab a sticky note or open a blank document. Do not spend more than 5 minutes on this.

1. Name the Project: (e.g., "Learn Logic Pro").
2. Write the Statement of Intent: "I want to learn Logic Pro so that I can record one messy demo song".
3. Define "Done": "I have an MP3 file on my desktop that plays sound".
4. The Blackout List (What I am NOT doing):
   • I'm not learning how to mix and master.
   • I'm not buying expensive plugins.
   • I'm not learning music theory.

The Result: You've turned a terrifying Landscape ("Become a Music Producer") into a clear Subject ("Make one MP3").

That is agency. Now you can start.