How to Do Great Work

Yeah. His comment is very hard to parse for insight.

One thing that happens the more experienced you get is that more and more of your work seems "not complex"/"too trivial". But then you realize how many people struggle at those trivial things in similar position and realize it's a trait: - implement simple solutions that provide value. - empower others to understand and use your solutions and implement their own. - tackle on more issues that provide the most value (and not necessarily the most complex). - repeat and expand. Do more with less. Make it less or a battle. - help and foster collaboration of heterogeneous actors. - proactively fix projects before they go the wrong way. - etc

It's not about being particular smart or better but finding methodologies that work and being very conscious and intentional about your work.

Let's talk a little more about the complicated business of figuring out what to work on.

When it comes to figuring out what to work on, you're on your own. Some people get lucky and do guess correctly, but the rest will find themselves scrambling diagonally across tracks laid down on the assumption that everyone does. —- This poses a significant problem, and I’m still seeking solutions.

As a child, I was fascinated by computer games and decided to become a computer engineer.

However, I later discovered that I was not particularly skilled in math and programming. Despite the struggle, I managed to complete my degree.

I had a genuine knack for history and geography and genuinely enjoyed them. However, I wasn’t sure if there were any viable career paths based on my interests, so I didn’t pursue them.

Only the truly ambitious people will click through and read it. It acts as a filter.

> The work that you do will be great work if you have a reason for doing it other than "I want to do something great."

I've always had an issue with the word "great". Who defines greatness? How will I know that I've achieved greatness in whatever work I'm doing at any particular time.

For work, I know when my work is great because co-workers and managers praise it: "nice fix", "some really good insights here", etc.

Beyond work - there's a whole bunch of egos and social politics that get tangled into the whole "what is great" thing:

- "Great poem"? Depends entirely on who is on the competition judging panel or what mood the magazine editor is in when they read your submission.

- "Great novel"? You've got to get it published first before the reviewers can cast their judgments, and to get it published you need to convince people that this is a great novel for the specific reason that it will make them some money when they publish it.

- "Great JS library"? People need to know it exists - and then how do you measure its greatness? In my view great DevEx and minimal issues raised in GitHub are just as important (if not more important) than the elegance and speed of the code itself.

Nowadays I judge the greatness of my varied passion projects by how well they please me. I am a harsh judge of myself: the days when I manage to draft a poem that leaves me stunned with wonder when I review it a few weeks later (for all poems should be left to ferment for a few weeks before review) is how I measure greatness. It's a rare occurence, but wondrous when it happens!

My thoughts as well. He himself went ALL the way through the educational system broadly and were into arts and so on, so did his friend and collaborator Morris. Granted, PG has seen tech talent and success unfold on a scale that few will experience, which gives him a unique perspective. I'm still left wondering what role he attributes having close friends like he did, peers, mentors, community and collaboration...