# Hot take: don't go with your gut

Hot take: Don’t always go with your gut.

As a startup founder, I have repeatedly been told to “just go with my gut.”

And while there is merit in trusting your instincts, I’ve grown a new appreciation for expanding my mental models 🧠

Before founding @ Smarty, I would hear a problem ➡️ immediately think about a solution.

Now, I think about that solution, but quickly consider:

✅ All other angles of the problem

✅ All other potential solutions

✅ All other perspectives

And I make my decision from there. 

Instinct as output is only as good as the data you input.

This practice doesn’t ignore my gut – it’s actually made my gut stronger 💪

<br>


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://blog.smarty.ai/my-founders-journey/my-personal-productivity-journey/musings/hot-take-dont-go-with-your-gut.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.