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How I Choose What to Work On (2023)

tynan.com

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Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)

#11

Post by ddorian43 »

mehphp wrote: post #7
smokel wrote: post #6

Note that there is a difference between wanting to have more money and wanting to make more money . The author seems to be lucky in being born with the latter trait, but most humans luckily don't. If you're in the other group, feel free to simply ignore this advice. Make money to support yourself and your surroundings, but don't feel sad that you can't constantly do the things you love. It is just not how reality wor…

Can you elaborate on the difference, I’m not sure I get it.

People want the "end result" of making money (having money), not the "process" of making money.

Say you make a startup, you "make money" by working hard for 5 years, but you "have money" only when you exit in the end.

Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)

#14

Post by chiffre01 »

I like the idea of autonomy and fulfillment. That said, the values expressed here seem to contradict the reliance on cheap flights and promotion of cruise tourism, both heavily petroleum-dependent and environmentally unsustainable industries.

I’m curious how this fits into the broader framework of doing meaningful values-driven work.

Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)

#15

Post by martindbp »

"If you do something you love, you will become good at it much faster than something you don’t love, and when you are good at something you will have some opportunity to commercialize it."

This sums up my life philosophy very well at this point. It also applies to kids and education, as I encourage my boy to do the things he loves (happens to be Minecraft and its thousands of mods, commands and other things to learn), and gently guide him over time to a place where he might be able to commercialize his skills in the future. It's amazing to see what a child is able to learn when they are obsessed.

Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)

#16

Post by tonyedgecombe »

smokel wrote: post #6

Note that there is a difference between wanting to have more money and wanting to make more money . The author seems to be lucky in being born with the latter trait, but most humans luckily don't. If you're in the other group, feel free to simply ignore this advice. Make money to support yourself and your surroundings, but don't feel sad that you can't constantly do the things you love. It is just not how reality wor…

If you have the first trait but not the second then you are pretty much doomed to misery (unless you happen to be very lucky).

Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)

#18

Post by treffeer »

HPsquared wrote: post #8
yfw wrote: post #3

> I would rather be poor than make a lot of money doing something I hate. I too would love to have that choice. But my wife and kids might disagree

It depends just how miserable it makes you, and the rest of the family's views. I wouldn't want my parent/spouse to be absolutely miserable just so I can have nicer things. Also a parent who is absolutely ground-down by their work might have psychological problems as a result which could negatively affect the child, or at minimum less time/energy to directly give to the family.

This is what Kafka’s Metamorphosis is about.

Most everyone only ever talks about parts 1-2, probably because that’s the beetle stuff. Everyone in his household is miserable and depressed and he is killing himself working hard to try to carry that burden for his family, just barely holding everything together, to the point it breaks him and he transforms.

Part 3 is his slow death and then a quick denouement takes place after dies, and it’s about how happy and healthy everyone else is after he’s stopped making himself ill trying to give them something they clearly are happier without.

Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)

#19

Post by [deleted] »

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #16
smokel wrote: post #6

Note that there is a difference between wanting to have more money and wanting to make more money . The author seems to be lucky in being born with the latter trait, but most humans luckily don't. If you're in the other group, feel free to simply ignore this advice. Make money to support yourself and your surroundings, but don't feel sad that you can't constantly do the things you love. It is just not how reality wor…

If you have the first trait but not the second then you are pretty much doomed to misery (unless you happen to be very lucky).

[deleted]

Re: How I Choose What to Work On (2023)

#20

Post by tonyedgecombe »

chiffre01 wrote: post #14

I like the idea of autonomy and fulfillment. That said, the values expressed here seem to contradict the reliance on cheap flights and promotion of cruise tourism, both heavily petroleum-dependent and environmentally unsustainable industries. I’m curious how this fits into the broader framework of doing meaningful values-driven work.

It's an interesting question, should you factor other people's consumption into your own environmental impact? I suppose you are enabling it although I doubt it would have any impact on the cruise industry if he shut up shop, clients would just select another agency to book through.
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