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+---
+
+# figure out what you want before looking for partners
+
+## what happened
+
+lesson from finding partner in hackathon is that you gotta figure out what you want earlier and optimize for that. showed up looking for teammates without knowing what i actually wanted from the experience.
+
+## why it's a gotcha
+
+if you don't know whether you want to win, learn, network, or ship, you'll end up on a team optimized for a different goal. the person who wants to win will clash with the person who wants to learn. both are valid — but they don't mix well under time pressure.
+
+## the fix
+
+before the hackathon, ask yourself: am i here to win, learn something specific, meet people, or build something real? then find people aligned with that goal. it's a simple filter that prevents most team friction.
+
+## see also
+
+- [[teams-without-shared-understanding]] — the downstream effect of unaligned goals
+- [[unclear-roles]] — roles should follow from goals
+- [[solo-vs-bad-team]] — if you can't find aligned people, go solo
+- [[fomo-trap]] — FOMO can push you into the wrong team
+- [[match-the-theme-track]] — know what game you're playing
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