Embracing the 3-Month Rule: A Practical Approach to Non-Scalable Solutions in Tech
In the realm of startups, one piece of wisdom stands out: the mantra of “doing things that don’t scale,” popularized by Paul Graham. Yet, translating this philosophy into actionable steps, particularly in the coding domain, often goes unaddressed.
After dedicating eight months to the development of my AI podcast platform, I have established a straightforward framework: every unscalable hack is given a lifespan of three months. At the end of this period, each solution is evaluated for its effectiveness—either it moves on to become a fully integrated feature, or it is phased out.
The Startup Mindset vs. Scalability
As developers, our training typically leans towards crafting scalable solutions from the very beginning. This includes intricate design patterns, microservices, and distributed systems—the architecture that supports millions of users. However, this kind of thinking can lead to pitfalls in the startup world.
In a startup environment, such scalable solutions often turn into costly procrastination. They cater to hypothetical users and tackle problems that may never arise. Adopting my 3-month rule has pushed me to write simpler, more pragmatic code that facilitates shipping valuable insights, allowing me to understand user needs swiftly.
Highlights of My Current Infrastructure Solutions
1. Single VM Architecture
My complete infrastructure, including the database, web server, background jobs, and Redis, operates on a single, $40/month virtual machine without redundancy. Though this approach may appear reckless, it has provided invaluable insights into my resource requirements over just two months. Contrary to my initial expectations, my platform peaks at a mere 4GB of RAM. Had I implemented a complex Kubernetes architecture, I would have been managing empty containers instead of addressing real concerns.
When issues have arisen—and they have—I gained actual data about the failures, which have consistently surprised me.
2. Hardcoded Configuration Values
To manage configurations, I utilize hardcoded constants like so:
python
PRICE_TIER_1 = 9.99
PRICE_TIER_2 = 19.99
MAX_USERS = 100
AI_MODEL = "gpt-4"
By avoiding complex config files and environment variables, all necessary values are easily accessible. This simplicity allows me to quickly track changes via Git history, ensuring that updates are efficiently managed. Instead of investing a week in setting up a configuration service, I’ve
One Comment
Thank you for sharing your practical and refreshing approach to the “doing things that don’t scale” philosophy. Your 3-month rule offers a disciplined way to experiment with quick, unscalable solutions while maintaining a clear endpoint for evaluation—this can significantly reduce analysis paralysis often encountered in startups.
I appreciate how you highlighted the value of simplicity in infrastructure, especially using a single VM and hardcoded configurations to gain real-world insights quickly. This pragmatic approach aligns well with the principle of building just enough to learn, rather than over-engineering from the start.
It might be worth considering, once these solutions prove effective and scalable, gradually refactoring them into more robust, scalable architectures—keeping the iterative mindset. This way, you preserve agility during initial development while laying a foundation for growth when needed.
Overall, your framework underscores the importance of disciplined experimentation and learning in early-stage tech projects—valuable lessons for any founder or developer navigating the startup landscape.