Founders
#314 Paul Graham (How To Do Great Work)
Peter Duffy's AI podcast notes AI-generated based on their snips
AI-generated based on their snips
1. Doing great work means expanding people's ideas of what's possible. Importance is subjective and there is no threshold for it. Focus on developing interests rather than worrying about importance. Find something you have aptitude for and great interest in. Discovering one's talents and future job possibilities can be challenging.
2. Chase outlier ideas, even if others are not interested. Being excited about possibilities that are ignored by others can be a good bet. Paul Graham's essays are worth reading and rereading.
3. Young and ambitious individuals should take actions to explore new thoughts. Luck plays a significant role in discovering what to work on. Curious people are more likely to do great work and should optimize for interestingness. If a field does not pique their curiosity, it is likely not suitable.
4. Optimize for interestingness, even if it means having strange tastes. Strong tastes lead to productivity and discovering new things. Find work that feels like play and don't worry about what others find tedious or frightening. Remember that fields are not people.
5. Stick to what genuinely interests you to be proof against rejection and failure. Following interests may require boldness. Work hard on ambitious projects and something good will come of it. Planning only works for predictable achievements. Follow what seems most interesting and provides the best future options.
6. Finishing what you start can be challenging but rewarding. The best work often happens in the final stage of a project. There is benefit to blissful ignorance when starting something difficult.
7. It is important to periodically ask oneself if they are working on what they most want to work on. The risk of not working on what one most wants increases with age. Great work often requires dedicating an unreasonable amount of time on a problem.
8. Originality comes from actively engaging and exploring topics. Trying to build or understand something slightly too difficult can lead to original ideas. Exploring a variety of topics and distributing attention unevenly fosters the generation of new ideas.
9. Trying lots of things means trying lots of things that do not work. Being prolific is underrated. Starting small makes it easier to start. Use advantages wisely based on age and take advantage of time when young.
10. Spend time lavishly when young, but avoid wasting it. The ability to spend time lavishly is unique to the young. With age comes the knowledge of what is truly worth worrying about and what is not.
11. Focus on doing good work instead of chasing influential people. Copying existing work is a great way to learn and doesn't make your work unoriginal. Curiosity is the best guide for great work.
