Six Inches Philosophy

A framework for prioritizing immediate, actionable tasks before expanding scope, inspired by Peak Design's founder's philosophy of focusing on "the 6 inches in front of your face."

Core Philosophy

• Focus exclusively on what's directly in front of you (6 inches from your face)
• Handle obvious, immediate priorities before expanding scope
• Avoid getting distracted by long-term possibilities early on
• Start with basic, proven needs before expanding ambition

Progressive Ambition Approach

• Begin with humble, focused goals
• Expand ambition only after proving initial concept
• Allow success to naturally lead to bigger opportunities
• Don't try to plan everything at once
• Let ambition grow organically with success

Implementation Strategy

• Dedicate first 3 hours of day to immediate priorities
• Write down "6 inches tasks" - clear, obvious improvements
• Focus on 1% improvements that are obvious and actionable
• Complete all immediate priorities before expanding scope
• Identify and knock out "no-brainer" steps first

Key Principles

• Start by building something people want
• Focus on getting product to customers effectively
• Don't worry about culture/brand until product-market fit
• Make small, consistent improvements to recurring processes
• Let larger vision evolve naturally from success

Examples of Success

• Facebook: Started with just college campuses
• SpaceX: Began with simple plant demonstration mission
• PayPal: Focused on basic money transfer before expanding
• Peak Design: Built success through focused execution on camera bags

Benefits

• Creates clear priorities
• Prevents overwhelm from too many initiatives
• Ensures foundational elements are solid
• Allows natural evolution of business
• Builds confidence through small wins