from Hacker News

Pruning: Making room for something new

by ejpastorino on 11/12/12, 8:08 PM with 9 comments

• by georgeorwell on 11/12/12, 11:59 PM

  I think tree pruning is actually a good metaphor for approaching life, not just software. Winding down commitments, ending relationships, completing projects, and getting rid of physical clutter are all examples of 'pruning' that anyone can benefit from.

  Imagine your life is a fruit tree, now pick any random article on pruning, such as this one (I googled "pruning stimulates new growth"):

  http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=pruning-fruit

  and you'll get gems like this:

  "Pruning stimulates new growth, controls the tree size, and improves the size and quality of the fruit. The first goal of pruning is to remove dead or diseased branches and to create a strong branch structure. Trees with strong branch angles and few overlapping or competing limbs have a better chance of a long, productive life."

  and:

  "The tendency of some fruit trees to bear in alternate years can be caused by insufficient pruning."

• by graeme on 11/12/12, 9:22 PM

  Spare capacity is important, but overlooked.

  Opportunities come our way all the time. If you have some slack in your system, you can take advantage of them.

  The mental benefits of pruning identified in this blog post are real. It's often hard to even see opportunities if things are too cluttered.

• by ams6110 on 11/12/12, 11:28 PM

  Great, so now when I am contemplating using, and paying for, your web app or service, I need to not only think about the possibility that you'll "pivot" or just go out of business, but also that you'll decide to "prune" the product that I'm using.

• by jgnatch on 11/13/12, 12:32 AM

  Wonderful analogy.. you must remove old and mediocre stuff to leave space for innovation