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Craftsmanship – The Alternative to the Four Hour Work Week Mindset (2018)

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Re: Craftsmanship – The Alternative to the Four Hour Work Week Mindset (2018)

#11

Post by jasonkester »

keiferski wrote: post #9
jasonkester wrote: post #7

I guess if we're going to discuss this article again, I should get to say my piece about it again: > To lounge on a beach or travel the world and not actively engage in building your arsenal of expertise is professional malpractice. I've seen this thought expressed before in writing about Startups. If you're not burning your life down 24/7 in the struggle to make it Big, you're doing it wrong. But that's silly. The e…

I think you're missing the point of craftsmanship as a general value. It is not about extracting and then spending resources. It's about dedicating your time, perhaps even your life, to mastering a skill. Traditional Japanese culture understood this and that's why you still get people like Jiro.[1] In the West, the only remaining traditional craftsmen that I can think of offhand are the bespoke tailors in Savile Row…

But I am dedicating my time and my life to mastering a skill. That skill is Rock Climbing.

To do so, I have also needed to find a way to live at a world class bouldering area and to spend 4 full days per week training and climbing, which means not having a full time job. Building a software business is a means to that end.

Keep in mind, also, that if one begins programming at age six and does it every day for 40 odd years, one tends to achieve mastery of programming as well. Even if one figures out a way to not need to do it full time for the last half dozen of those years.

Re: Craftsmanship – The Alternative to the Four Hour Work Week Mindset (2018)

#12

Post by keiferski »

jasonkester wrote: post #11
keiferski wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're missing the point of craftsmanship as a general value. It is not about extracting and then spending resources. It's about dedicating your time, perhaps even your life, to mastering a skill. Traditional Japanese culture understood this and that's why you still get people like Jiro.[1] In the West, the only remaining traditional craftsmen that I can think of offhand are the bespoke tailors in Savile Row…

But I am dedicating my time and my life to mastering a skill. That skill is Rock Climbing. To do so, I have also needed to find a way to live at a world class bouldering area and to spend 4 full days per week training and climbing, which means not having a full time job. Building a software business is a means to that end. Keep in mind, also, that if one begins programming at age six and does it every day for 40 odd…

> But I am dedicating my time and my life to mastering a skill. That skill is Rock Climbing.

I'm not certain that rock climbing qualifies as a craft, as you aren't creating anything. Nonetheless, that distinction isn't important, and I certainly do think there is merit in the idea that a starting a business is a good way to earn income in order focus energy on something more important.

However, that isn't the viewpoint that you expressed in your initial comment; it is the opposite ("lounge on the beach, travel the world...")

> Keep in mind, also, that if one begins programming at age six and does it every day for 40 odd years, one tends to achieve mastery of programming as well.

How are you defining mastery? As the ability to make a respectable income with low effort required? That seems a fairly low bar. I'm not entirely sure that programming is best thought of as a craft, but assuming that it is: someone programming every day for 8 hours a day for 40 years would surely have a greater mastery than someone who only does it part-time.

Re: Craftsmanship – The Alternative to the Four Hour Work Week Mindset (2018)

#13

Post by dang »

jasonkester wrote: post #7

I guess if we're going to discuss this article again, I should get to say my piece about it again: > To lounge on a beach or travel the world and not actively engage in building your arsenal of expertise is professional malpractice. I've seen this thought expressed before in writing about Startups. If you're not burning your life down 24/7 in the struggle to make it Big, you're doing it wrong. But that's silly. The e…

Please don't copy-paste comments on HN. That lowers the signal-noise ratio. If you don't have something new to say, it's fine to let your old comment stand for itself.

Re: Craftsmanship – The Alternative to the Four Hour Work Week Mindset (2018)

#14

Post by jasonkester »

keiferski wrote: post #12
jasonkester wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But I am dedicating my time and my life to mastering a skill. That skill is Rock Climbing. To do so, I have also needed to find a way to live at a world class bouldering area and to spend 4 full days per week training and climbing, which means not having a full time job. Building a software business is a means to that end. Keep in mind, also, that if one begins programming at age six and does it every day for 40 odd…

> But I am dedicating my time and my life to mastering a skill. That skill is Rock Climbing. I'm not certain that rock climbing qualifies as a craft, as you aren't creating anything. Nonetheless, that distinction isn't important, and I certainly do think there is merit in the idea that a starting a business is a good way to earn income in order focus energy on something more important. However, that isn't the viewpoi…

someone programming every day for 8 hours a day for 40 years would surely have a greater mastery than someone who only does it part-time.

I think you hit it there. We're not disagreeing. I'd just add to your point that one might still retain that mastery gained over 40 years of practice if one dialed things back for the next five years to focus on something else.

Re: Craftsmanship – The Alternative to the Four Hour Work Week Mindset (2018)

#15

Post by bondgaurav21 »

This post really changed my mindset towards four hour work week mindset. But, I want to ask one thing from you which is- are you suggesting us to choose those entrepreneurial endeavors in which we have a huge desire to get an excellence instead of finding those ideas which are easy to setup and do not need so much knowledge crunching from our side?

Re: Craftsmanship – The Alternative to the Four Hour Work Week Mindset (2018)

#16

Post by adim86 »

I think the source of this issue is as recent as the industrial age. People grow up wanting to be "Managers". We grew up watching our parents have a skill and working at a corporation, but then looking for that promotion to become a Manager. Somewhere along the line people are like, why don't I skip the whole working my ass off part and just hack resources together and manage it (Especially with the rise of the startup life). We lost the notion that there is a value to hard work, that there is a value to failing and picking yourself up. This is further compounded by the corruption we see in our governments, societies and money markets where people move around shares and numbers on excel sheets and become millionaires. It feeds further into the idea that people who work hard or develop a skill are losers

Re: Craftsmanship – The Alternative to the Four Hour Work Week Mindset (2018)

#18

Post by wolco »

keiferski wrote: post #12
jasonkester wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But I am dedicating my time and my life to mastering a skill. That skill is Rock Climbing. To do so, I have also needed to find a way to live at a world class bouldering area and to spend 4 full days per week training and climbing, which means not having a full time job. Building a software business is a means to that end. Keep in mind, also, that if one begins programming at age six and does it every day for 40 odd…

> But I am dedicating my time and my life to mastering a skill. That skill is Rock Climbing. I'm not certain that rock climbing qualifies as a craft, as you aren't creating anything. Nonetheless, that distinction isn't important, and I certainly do think there is merit in the idea that a starting a business is a good way to earn income in order focus energy on something more important. However, that isn't the viewpoi…

If the four hours are spent coding and the rest of the day thoughts around those structures are experienced and expanded on then mastery is possible.

8 hours a day with meetings, emails, phone calls and shoulder taps mastery is almost impossible.

Re: Craftsmanship – The Alternative to the Four Hour Work Week Mindset (2018)

#19

Post by cpursley »

jasonkester wrote: post #7

I guess if we're going to discuss this article again, I should get to say my piece about it again: > To lounge on a beach or travel the world and not actively engage in building your arsenal of expertise is professional malpractice. I've seen this thought expressed before in writing about Startups. If you're not burning your life down 24/7 in the struggle to make it Big, you're doing it wrong. But that's silly. The e…

Balance and sustainability are so important.

Do you mind sharing the name/url of your SaaS business?

Re: Craftsmanship – The Alternative to the Four Hour Work Week Mindset (2018)

#20

Post by fierarul »

dang wrote: post #13
jasonkester wrote: post #7

I guess if we're going to discuss this article again, I should get to say my piece about it again: > To lounge on a beach or travel the world and not actively engage in building your arsenal of expertise is professional malpractice. I've seen this thought expressed before in writing about Startups. If you're not burning your life down 24/7 in the struggle to make it Big, you're doing it wrong. But that's silly. The e…

Please don't copy-paste comments on HN. That lowers the signal-noise ratio. If you don't have something new to say, it's fine to let your old comment stand for itself.

Did this repost have anything new to say? Why not let the old thread speak for itself? Should HN block reposts?

Note he copied his own comment... Which the majority of people wouldn't have seen otherwise because nobody goes through all the threads of all the reposts to see what was discussed back then.

Please don't teach people how to self-censor.

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