LIFE LIFE · THE SWEET FANTASY OF NUKING THE WHOLE THING

SHOULD I START OVER?

Whether it is a painting, a coding codebase, a haircut, a career, or your entire life trajectory: should you hit factory reset?

COMMON SCENARIOS:
The foundation is rotten from day one I have sunk 6 months into it A fresh canvas sounds so clean Tired of fixing endless bugs Want to move to a new city Just burned out on current draft

BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING STUPID

RULE #1

THE SUNK COST PARADOX.

Do not stay in a burning building simply because you spent a lot of money on the wallpaper. If the fundamental architecture is broken, starting fresh is wise.

RULE #2

THE NOVELTY BIAS.

A new project always looks clean and gleaming because it has no bugs yet. Understand that every new start eventually reaches the same muddy middle.

FREQUENTLY AVOIDED QUESTIONS

How do I know if it is salvageable?

List the 3 fatal flaws. If fixing those flaws takes longer than rebuilding clean with the lessons you already learned, start over.

Can I start over in a new city?

Wherever you go, you take yourself with you. Make sure the problem is the city, not your internal weather.