This is the personal Blog of Mia Heidenstedt.  

Author: Mia Heidenstedt  
Date: 2026-03-13 11:19 UTC  
Last Updated: 2026-04-16 07:56 UTC

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# Willingness to look stupid


[Willingness to look stupid](https://jonbell.medium.com/mcdonalds-theory-9216e1c9da7d)

[Hacker News Comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47307124)

## TLDR (Generated)

The "McDonald's Theory" suggests that pitching a deliberately bad idea is the fastest way to overcome creative blocks and inspire a team to come up with better solutions.

* **Break the ice with bad ideas:** Suggesting something universally disliked (like McDonald's for lunch) unites people in disagreement and forces them to generate superior alternatives.
* **The first step is the hardest:** Don't overthink it; the primary goal is just to start, because taking action—even poorly—makes the second step much easier.
* **Silence the inner critic:** Ignore self-doubt and procrastination by forcing yourself to get your thoughts onto paper or a whiteboard immediately.
* **Spark collaboration:** Once an idea is out in the open, even a flawed one, it acts as a catalyst for the group to naturally revise, refine, and build upon it together.

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### Tags
- Creativity
- Psychology
- Risk Taking
- Brainstorming
- Risk
- Ideation
- Innovation
- Collaboration
- Problem Solving


### Categories


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