205: David Heinemeier Hansson - Falling In Love With Your Work & The Future Of Work: ReWork

May 21, 2017

David Heinemeier Hansson, known as DHH, is the creator of Ruby on Rails and CTO of Basecamp. He passionately discusses falling in love with daily work as key to sustaining excellence. DHH debunks the myth that innovation relies on in-person collaboration, advocating for remote work's benefits such as reduced commutes and improved focus. He shares that financial success doesn't eliminate life's problems, emphasizing the importance of finding joy in what you do. His candid advice urges listeners to carefully consider their career choices, especially regarding management roles.

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INSIGHT

Love The Work Itself

David Heinemeier Hansson says sustained excellence comes from falling in love with the actual work, not the idea of success.
Loving the day-to-day doing makes it easy to stay on the same productive path for years.

INSIGHT

Co-Location Isn't Necessary For Innovation

Basecamp was founded remote and proved innovation doesn't require co-location.
DHH argues the claim that 'magic only happens in the same room' is plainly false based on Basecamp's success.

ADVICE

Protect Deep Work With Remote Options

Avoid open-plan offices because they assault concentration and fragment deep work.
Choose remote setups to give people peace, long uninterrupted stretches, and better creative output.

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Go To www.LearningLeader.com For more information on DHH and this episode
Common themes of leaders who sustain excellence:
- "For me it's falling in love with the work itself..."
- Being excited to do the actual work everyday... The actual day to day work
"I don't have a need to think "What's Next?" -- "I'm thrilled to do the thing I've fallen in love with."
How did he become DHH?
What percentage of your job do you love and what percent do you dislike?
- DHH works to minimize the parts he doesn't like
- Managing others is low on his list of what he loves.
"The thought that you can't be innovative if you aren't in the same room is bullshit." -- You can do that remotely, in fact better in most cases.
DHH shares why the open office concept is horrible for creative people who like to "get shit done."
Remote work gives peace, tranquility, quality
Commuting to work can be a wasteful, drain on your life
The future of work -- More remote work, more contractors, less full time employees
"The office is something you choose to have, you don't need to have it."
"The Day I Became A Millionaire"
- What DHH learned that day... What changed? What didn't
- "The things that brought happiness were the things I was already doing. I love writing, programming, reading."
- Will a certain amount of money ever be enough? Ray Kroc said "No."
"The human condition does not end because you get rich." You'll still have problems.
Best advice to give to people early in their careers?
- "Be careful what you wish for. Managing other people is not in my top 5 things I like to do."
- "Prove you can execute. That's the way to get to the executive level. Just simply make shit happen, you get shit done."
- You have to weigh shipping vs quality
- Take measured risks, and don't be afraid to make mistakes

David "DHH" Heinemeier Hansson is the creator of Ruby on Rails, founder & CTO at Basecamp(formerly 37signals), best-selling author, Le Mans class-winning racing driver, public speaker, hobbyist photographer, and family man. He is the best selling author of ReWork and Remote: Office Note Required. You can also read his wildly popular writings on Medium.com/@dhh