What do you mean by start with what you want?

Question

I want to understand the best way to ask questions on Freedly so that I get good answers that will help me find freedom.

In your instructions at the top of the question form, you say "start with what you want" But if I knew what I wanted, I would not need to ask my question.

I have searched for my question, but none of the results are remotely related to the best way to ask questions.

What exactly should I be starting my freedom question with?

Answer 1

OK, you have actually started right by saying what you want to achieve in your first sentence.

What this does, is let people who want to help you understand where you are coming from. That allows them to phrase the answer in a way that helps you best.

This is the way you need to approach all aspects of seeking freedom - a clear statement of what you want to achieve. For a question about financial freedom, start with the purpose of your project.

Most questioners jump straight to the problem. A few start with a long personal background. Whilst the problem is obviously important, and background information helps, there is nothing that helps more than knowing what you wish to achieve.

In some cases, it prompts the expert who is answering the question to explain why the question is irrelevant, saving you time and worry. In other cases, it prompts the responder to add extra information that will help you after you have seen the answer - a prompt about your next steps that will hopefully save you time.

Sometimes you want to know something just for the sake of it. Maybe to satisfy your curiosity, or just to increase your knowledge. If that is the case, say so at the start. It makes a huge difference to the quality, quantity, and speed of answers you will get.