Does This Grow Corn?
Convert every appealing idea into a concrete use
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 92%
Chris describes a friend's test for an attractive concept: 'Does this grow corn?' The question means: is the idea useful, and how can it be applied in real life? The model counters what he calls learning as masturbation—the tendency to enjoy cerebral understanding while confusing it with implementation. To use it, explain the idea simply, identify a live situation it could improve, and translate it into one observable action or promise. If no application can be named, the concept may be interesting but it should not be counted as progress. The output is not another note about the idea; it is a behavior, decision, experiment, or deliberately deferred item.
Origin
Chris Williamson attributes the phrase to a friend while explaining the gap between learning and action on The Diary of a CEO.
Core principles
- 01Understanding is not implementation
- 02Useful ideas change a real action
- 03Application exposes whether a concept is clear
How to run it
- 1
Capture the concept
Write the idea in one plain sentence. Remove decorative language until its claimed mechanism is clear.
Pro tip If you cannot explain it simply, you may not yet understand it.
- 2
Run the corn test
Ask whether the concept is useful in your actual life. Name the problem, decision, or behavior it could affect.
Watch out Do not treat recognition or excitement as evidence of usefulness.
- 3
Specify an application
Turn the concept into one action with a context and a visible completion condition. Keep the first application small enough to execute.
Pro tip A promise you can keep is stronger than a broad intention.
- 4
Act or defer honestly
Execute the action, or mark the idea as interesting but not currently actionable. Do not count an unused concept as completed work.
Watch out More research can become avoidance when the next action is already clear.
In the wild
Illustrative example: after hearing that self-trust grows through kept promises, a listener does not merely save the quote. They promise to get up with the first alarm for the next seven days and record each result.
→ The concept becomes a testable behavior rather than another saved insight.
Common mistakes
Confusing recall with use
Being able to repeat a concept does not show that it has changed a decision or behavior.
Forcing immediate utility
Some exploration is legitimately open-ended. Label it that way instead of inventing a false application.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for prolific learners who collect concepts but struggle to change behavior.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for exploratory learning whose value is deliberately long-term or unknown.
From the transcript
“There is a case of learning as masturbation, right?”
“Does this grow corn? Basically, is it useful?”
From the episode
Chris Williamson: The Shocking New Research On Why Men And Women Are No Longer Compatible!