You should work on life extension. If you succeed, you'll have more time to work on other things.
I’m glad so many of us see the obvious solution :)
Ask HN: I want to be an expert in many things but my lifetime won't be enough
81–90 of 222 posts
Re: Ask HN: I want to be an expert in many things but my lifetime won't be enough
#82First, have you asked yourself why you want to be an expert in many things? If it is just to know things, then it doesn't matter; just keep learning until you can't anymore. If it is to apply the knowledge to something, then you can use that fact to determine how much utility over time the knowledge of each thing would have, and focus on the greatest first.
> First, have you asked yourself why you want to be an expert in many things? Not the OP, but here's my answer. I want to be able to win arguments. If I debate the merits of an economic proposal with you, and you say, "Sure, and what are your qualifications, exactly? Do you have a PhD in economics?", I want to be able to say, "Yes, I do have a PhD in economics, actually", or "I have read over 490 books about economic…
If being an expert wins you arguments we wouldn't have flat earthers
Re: Ask HN: I want to be an expert in many things but my lifetime won't be enough
#83No post body was provided.
Re: Ask HN: I want to be an expert in many things but my lifetime won't be enough
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
> First, have you asked yourself why you want to be an expert in many things? Not the OP, but here's my answer. I want to be able to win arguments. If I debate the merits of an economic proposal with you, and you say, "Sure, and what are your qualifications, exactly? Do you have a PhD in economics?", I want to be able to say, "Yes, I do have a PhD in economics, actually", or "I have read over 490 books about economic…
Realistically a lot of people who you'd otherwise learn from will avoid discussing things with you because of this behavior. Meanwhile those willing to listen and who aren't as concerned with winning arguments will learn much more than you. EDIT: to expand on this, the smartest person I ever knew (the late Justin Corwin. Maybe someone here also knew him) would sit quietly during arguments until someone asked his opin…
> his knowledge went deeper than you could explore with mere discussion.
Another principle of mine: There are no oracles. There is no individual, past, present, or future, who cannot be surpassed. No one is a knowledge god. If I learned everything Justin knew, and that wouldn't be too difficult, I imagine, then I, too, could gain a level of knowledge that goes deeper than one could explore with mere discussion, according to you.
Re: Ask HN: I want to be an expert in many things but my lifetime won't be enough
#85Four Thousand Weeks is a good book that touches on this. It begins with the premise that most people have infinite desires, and all people have finite time, and it's unlikely you will accomplish even 1% of all of your dreams in your finite life. It then talks about how that's okay, because what we choose to spend our time and attention on is what makes us unique and interesting, and explores some ways to prioritize t…
Humans have the appetites of gods and the stomachs of mortals.
Re: Ask HN: I want to be an expert in many things but my lifetime won't be enough
#86I‘m a generalist. I know I don’t have time to be an expert in everything. I buy a lot of books about a lot of subjects I’m interested in, but I don’t have the time to read all of them.
But when some work comes my way, the large bookshelf comes in handy, because the books‘ authors knew more than I do.
Sometimes I just buy a book to see if some technology would fit my use case or not. I think it’s faster and cheaper than to dig into online documentation.
Re: Ask HN: I want to be an expert in many things but my lifetime won't be enough
#87This can be guided by knowing one's purpose in life, and by knowing that life does not end when this mortal lifetime ends, but we will actually continue to exist; and it is possible, based on our individual choices, that our learning, service, and growth can continue. For me, this helps take the pressure off. I wrote how I know this, at my simple web site (in profile). There are ways to use our time that brings happi…
> knowing that life does not end when this mortal lifetime ends.
Citation needed.
Re: Ask HN: I want to be an expert in many things but my lifetime won't be enough
#88Is your lifetime not enough or could the resources to become an expert be better?
Looking at sports, it becomes obvious how much can be achieved with the right training. Unfortunately, right now, only the most promising talent in a field receives the best training. If we can automate that, it would be much easier to become an expert in many fields.
So, if you don't want to decide, you could also improve the infrastructure for becoming an expert.
Re: Ask HN: I want to be an expert in many things but my lifetime won't be enough
#89The best advice I ever got on this was to notice the things that nobody else wants to deal with that seem important. Those are opportunities. It turns out, some of them are pretty fun.
And after that have hobbies that have as little to do with your job as possible.
Re: Ask HN: I want to be an expert in many things but my lifetime won't be enough
#90If that idea of your lifetime not being enough is stressing you out, Dr David Burns' work on cognitive behavioural therapy might help. Saying you want to be an expert in many things because you are interested in many things could be papering over some deeper anxiety-driven motivations around 'not being good enough' or 'not being worthy of respect' or 'needing to prove yourself to someone' or 'not wanting to be a nobody' or 'wanting to avoid the bullying you used to get' or etc. The Feeling Good podcast[1] is a good audio introduction and has many examples, his book Feeling Great is more of a self-help style written introduction.
The important question is not "what should I work on?" or "how should I decide and prioritise?", it is something more like "I have thought processes, they model imaginary futures and guide me away from predicted harm. Why do I have an imaginary future of not being enough of an expert and feel suffering in the present? Where did that thought come from and what is it doing for me, and do I want to keep it?".
You can go with the desire for expertise part, "why do I need to be an expert in many things?" - whose respect are you trying to earn? Whose criticism are you trying to avoid? Who are you trying to avoid being like? What emotional disaster is that trying to protect you from? Or the other side, "what is so bad if I am not an expert in many things on my deathbed?", what's imagined social or emotional harm is that warning me of?