How to Do Great Work by @paulg

The average PG essay contains condensed wisdom packed into 500-1500 words.

So when he dropped this 10k word essay in the summer of 2023 on how ambitious people could do great work, it was—as they say—Christmas in July.

The essay reminds me of Hamming's "You and Your Research" but written for technologists in the 21st century.

Here's my mindmap of the essay but of course go read the whole thing for yourself (link in following comment)

My biggest takeaway was the importance of following your curiosity and pursuing projects you find personally meaningful.

In some ways I've been inclined towards that approach my whole career.

Yet I didn't always have the confidence to double down on my curiosity when others doubted.

And as I transition from Youth to Age, I need to truly internalize this wisdom. @paulg Here's the essay itself: paulgraham.com/greatwork.html

It's easy to complain about the state of things.

It's hard to lead people towards a better world. There are a lot of young people who want the world to be a better place.

They invest a lot of time talking about the problems of the world: climate, marginalization of underprivileged groups, the way we value productivity over humanity.

That's all expected and good!

As an exec coach and @interintellect_ host, I've helped more than dozen founders and tech/creative professionals tell their personal story.

Here are 4 common mistakes I see people making 🧵 1) Not being clear enough about the challenges you faced.

I'm a firm believer that every hero needs a (metaphorical) adversary to be truly heroic.

If people don't understand what was daunting or hard about your journey, they can't appreciate your achievements in the end.

Storytelling is a crucial skill for founders, PM's, and job hunters—and few do it better than @Netflix.

This incredible gem by their director of creative investment is a gold mine of insights that tech professionals can apply to their world.

Here are my top 5 takeaways 🧵 1. CHARACTERS >> Plot

Netflix wants shows that are character-driven b/c "viewers develop relationships with characters not plot."

Without interesting & relatable characters w/ clear goals & emotional stakes, the plot doesn't matter.

(Plus overreliance on action costs $$$)

2023 is is a year Generative AI really comes for knowledge workers.

Naturally we're all fixated on what AI can do and how it's as good or better than people. So what's left for us?

Here are 10 enduring human traits that can help us stay ahead of the machines. 🧵 1/ IMPERFECTION

Making mistakes is human. Slips of tongue, typos, the occasional email faux pas.

But here's the biggest one you can't make now—being so darn afraid to make mistakes!

Amazing things have come from accidents. I'm grateful as hell for penicillin.

In 2019, 2 b-school professors from Wharton and Boston Univ. went deep into startup pivot research.

They studied 93 strategic decisions made by 7 energy & cleantech startups across 3 years.

What they found busts the myth of the "leap of faith" pivot. Most lessons about startup pivots are anecdotal.

The big winners and the tragic losers get passed down like tall tales. These stories focus on taking big leaps into the unknown.

Founders deserve better than folklore, they deserve facts.

Another birthday (35!), another chance to reflect on what the past year has taught me.

Here's a 🧵 on what I've learned in the last 12 months 1/ Always be asking (and have a good answer) to these 2 questions:

1) What problem are you trying to solve?
2) Is this the most important problem you could be solving right now?