The 3-Month Rule: A Pragmatic Approach to Non-Scalable Development
In the world of startups, the mantra “Do things that don’t scale,” as famously coined by Paul Graham, is often echoed but rarely fleshed out, especially in the realm of programming. After eight months of developing my AI podcast platform, I’ve implemented a straightforward guideline that I call the “3-Month Rule.” This principle dictates that each unscalable workaround is granted a lifespan of just three months. Within this timeframe, it must either validate its worth and evolve into a more robust solution or be phased out.
Embracing Simplicity Over Complexity
As software engineers, we are conditioned to prioritize the creation of scalable architectures from the outset. This leads us down a path of intricate design patterns, microservices, and distributed systems—systems that are indeed impressive but often suited for large-scale enterprises. In a startup context, however, building these structures can turn into costly delays, as we risk optimizing for hypothetical users and scenarios that may never materialize.
My 3-Month Rule compels me to adopt a straightforward approach, allowing me to produce “bad” code that gets shipped quickly. This strategy helps me glean invaluable insights into actual user needs and behaviors.
Current Infrastructure Hacks: Smart Choices in Action
1. Single Virtual Machine Setup
Currently, my entire infrastructure—web server, database, background jobs, and Redis—operates on a single $40/month virtual machine, with no redundancy and manual backups to my local machine. This may seem reckless, but it has been immensely educational. I’ve gathered more actionable data regarding my resource consumption in just two months than any capacity-planning document would provide. My so-called “AI-heavy” application only peaks at 4GB of RAM. The Kubernetes setup I nearly built would have only managed idle containers.
When my system crashes—a scenario that has occurred twice—I receive real feedback on failure points, illuminating issues I hadn’t anticipated.
2. Hardcoded Configuration
I’ve opted for hardcoded constants throughout my codebase, such as:
plaintext
PRICE_TIER_1 = 9.99
PRICE_TIER_2 = 19.99
MAX_USERS = 100
AI_MODEL = "gpt-4"
Without configuration files or environment variables, any change necessitates a redeploy. The advantage? Tracking configuration changes is simplified, allowing for faster iterations and straightforward maintenance. In the
One Comment
Thank you for sharing this insightful approach. The 3-Month Rule highlights a crucial balance many founders and engineers grapple with: acting quickly and iteratively without succumbing to premature over-engineering. Your emphasis on embracing “bad” code and simple infrastructure to validate hypotheses aligns well with lean startup philosophies—it’s all about learning fast.
One point I’d add is that setting clear, time-bound goals for each unscalable workaround not only accelerates learning but also prevents technical debt from spiraling out of control. It creates a disciplined cadence where each hack is a temporary experiment rather than a permanent fixture.
Additionally, as you gather real-world data from these lightweight setups, you can inform whether a more scalable, robust architecture is truly necessary or if your current approach suffices for your growth trajectory. It’s a pragmatic way to avoid unnecessary complexity early on while maintaining flexibility.
Would love to hear how you plan to transition these quick fixes into more scalable solutions once validated—perhaps your 3-Month Rule could evolve into a scalable architecture phase? Great discussion on balancing speed with strategic planning!