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Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

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61–70 of 305 posts

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#61

I'd ask the same question, but with a sinister twist: What would you do if you don't worry about money AND law enforcement?

Adding counter spin: And you had the unquestioned backing of world leaders ala the wall watchers in The Three Body Problem.

What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about money, or opposition, and the sky itself wasn’t even the limit.

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#63

A depressing reality to this question is to just look at the current crop of billionaires. None of them need money, yet many of them spend their time pursuing more. I know all of us have these quaint answers about all the noble or fulfilling things we would do, but the data doesn't seem to support that.

Because the work they do is satisfying and interesting. Take that away and they’re less of a person. They can’t stop because the person they are is tied up with what they do.

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#64
post #3

If cash wasn't a thing, I'd be all in on creating a system that lets you transfer your memories and brainpower into another body or a robot. I'll let you laugh at this like others, but I'm serious.

When this becomes possible, prisons will become very compact: a micro SD card to trap one's consciousness.

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#65

I'd probably just own some kind of cycling adjacent coffee/bicycle shop where I barely do anything but nod towards my workers and talk with everyone who visits.

Have you read, ‘A Psalm For The Wild Built’ by Becky Chambers? The protagonist is a monk that cycles around on a bicycle-camper making tea for people, and ends up making friends with wild robots. Touching...I've thought of serving coffee and tea at the nearby parks via bicycle often. A physical location such as yours would be nice too.

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#66

I'd open a bakery and make fresh sourdough bread, pizzas, focaccia and pasta every single day, and give it away for cost.

Would you still start at 4am in the morning? I was contemplating "retiring" to work at a local cooperative bakery that makes similar things, but their shifts were at horrible times that felt like it would ruin my health.

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#68
A few days back "Where are the builders?" was asked and I was going to chime in there but then today this comes up which correlates, good timing. I too was a Nintendo and Lego kid that took it to extremes, I still play with Legos today as they are great for mock ideas and concepts.

My lifestyle and past choices now afford me all my time as I made great sacrifices for many years saving prolifically while others accrued more and more debt chasing the Jones. Apparently this is called FIRE now but I was doing it long before the acronym.

I have been a problem solver my entire life and have both reverse engineered many things but more importantly I have built a vast variety of personal and professional solutions using mechanics, electronics, technology, automation, and more. I am now building and patenting an energy storage device of my own design given the problem that I personally have which one can likely deduce. I am in absolutely no hurry as all my time is mine to invest where I see fit and as such I am my own boss with ONLY the goal of solving my problem.

For those with the entrepreneurial mindset, exactly like my own, I’ll answer your implicit question from the above reading: "Yes". Once I have my device functioning and it performs as I designed it to the satisfaction of my requirements then a business opportunity unfolds. Given my past choices I am referred to professionally as a serial entrepreneur so I may as well apply my time to my interests and keep solving problems. The difference now however is that I have zero anxiety in my pursuit of my problem since the goal is the objective, not money.

Stay Healthy!

Re: Ask HN: What would you spend your time working on if you didn't need money?

#70
post #64
post #3

If cash wasn't a thing, I'd be all in on creating a system that lets you transfer your memories and brainpower into another body or a robot. I'll let you laugh at this like others, but I'm serious.

When this becomes possible, prisons will become very compact: a micro SD card to trap one's consciousness.

As you might expect, there's a Black Mirror episode not far from that (IIRC "White Christmas"). And several other works of literature.
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