Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How to Work Hard

paulgraham.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

881–890 of 1001 posts

Re: How to Work Hard

#881

Post by Gatsky »

rgifford wrote: post #690

I worked my way through college as a mover (and came out the other side with high 5-figure debt). Many of the older guys I worked with had drug habits. I worked 16-hour days with those guys. They'd get on me for not running up stairs, for packing with too little paper around glass, for setting things down more than once. None wrote articles entitled "How to Work Hard." None knew Warren Buffet as a child (see Gates).…

Note that everyone on this forum is prima facie remarkably privileged compared to someone in this world. 'We' all went to some kind of school as opposed to no school. 'We' all have amazing technology at our finger tips, as opposed to lacking basic nutrition and sanitation and personal safety.

The difference between 'us' and the abject poor is much greater than the difference between 'us' and PG or Bill Gates. The abject poor can't even post on here to point this out.

My point is that privilege tagging is hypocritical, and not useful. As such, I simply read this essay calmly for what it is, knowing that I too was born with more than enough luck. Yet I constantly fail to honour that most essential fact about my life.

Re: How to Work Hard

#882

Post by sbierwagen »

bradlys wrote: post #818
sbierwagen wrote: post #807

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You've "gone out" 300 times in a year? I can't imagine that would leave a person with much functional liver tissue, or you're using "going out" in some unusual way.

I don’t drink. Not everything has to revolve around getting blackout drunk.

Ah. If you're using "going out" to mean literally any activity outside the home that is not work, then sure, "going out" a lot wouldn't be not hard. Someone with a reasonable amount of disposable income could probably eat out at a restaurant five days a week, if they wanted to.

Re: How to Work Hard

#883

Post by stryker7001 »

WalterSear wrote: post #617
throwawayboise wrote: post #593

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're just burned out. I hope you have some financial cushion and can take some time to just do nothing. Or try gardening, or woodworking, or something really different that can be personally rewarding with no pressure to meet anyone else's expectations. With time you should heal.

Unfortunately, I've been burnt out too many times now, for too long. Every job now ends in burn out and takes 6+ months to recover from before I can start looking for another job. This time, however, feels different - it never felt insurmountable like this before. I can't work on my own stuff, can't level up my skills, not sure how to get back to that. I suspect that my situation is likely common among aging coders a…

I feel bad for you. but eventually if you've failed 6 times, you have to look at yourself and understand what you're doing wrong. It actually sounds like you might have clinical depression, and that's not anything to take lightly. There is tons of help and support and if you want, I'd be happy to help.

Re: How to Work Hard

#884

Post by rgifford »

soheil wrote: post #872
rgifford wrote: post #851

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are they overachievers though? What factors -- over which they had control -- formed their psychology, intellectual capability, access to resources and education? I'm guessing zip code predicts "overachiever-dom" depressingly well. I'm also guessing it's not everything, life is noisy.

What difference does it make if there were factors they had control over? I suspect grit or tendency to work hard is primarily inherited just like intelligence. So you could also say anyone who works hard is not really doing so by their own doing. I’m not sure what exactly you feel victim of.

Hey Soheil! I'm actually doing really well and my life is awesome. No complaints personally.

I'm worried about the future -- my own, yours, my parents, those of the guys I worked with at the moving company, etc.

The problem when wage growth stalls for most of the population [1], but wealth grows disproportionately for the wealthy [2] is three-fold:

- The wealthy don't spend additional wealth, they invest it. This leads to lower velocity of money, which is a factor in consumer spending.

- Economic mobility stalls with decreased consumer spending and concentration of wealth. [3]

- As people lose faith in economic mobility and experience economic hardship, political instability follows. [4]

This cycle is compounding. It's about long-termism and general social welfare.

Economic competition is good. Inequality can be good. Current levels of economic inequality and mobility are concerning. Like pre-Great Depression concerning and it's only getting worse.

Right now we need people, especially wealthy people to be in-touch with how out-of-whack our economy is. The gospel of prosperity is poisonous right now. We need more people to acknowledge luck and to understand the economic suffering of others.

1. https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=304888

2. https://otb.cachefly.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/wealth-s...

3. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/02_econ...

4. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00220027177234...

Re: How to Work Hard

#885

Post by stryker7001 »

scandox wrote: post #601
WalterSear wrote: post #569

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is me. Though I didn't just learn this in my upbringing - I feel like my entire working life has been one of false promises and dehumanization, that has left me unable to enjoy anything. I'm 47 now, have worked at 6 failed startups in a row, and can't face work, or looking for a job. I used to blame social media and hacker news, but I now recognize that too much delayed gratification and overwork have had a much…

> I do a lot of sitting quietly, with my mind almost empty of thought. This is a totally natural state. There's nothing wrong with it and if you want a change of mind then I suggest you let it happen. And probably get off social media too.

you realize that software coders made social media, and humans consume it.

Re: How to Work Hard

#886

Post by stryker7001 »

sizzle wrote: post #653
WalterSear wrote: post #569

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is me. Though I didn't just learn this in my upbringing - I feel like my entire working life has been one of false promises and dehumanization, that has left me unable to enjoy anything. I'm 47 now, have worked at 6 failed startups in a row, and can't face work, or looking for a job. I used to blame social media and hacker news, but I now recognize that too much delayed gratification and overwork have had a much…

Why not join a slow enterprise F500 and recharge, focus on hobbies and coast through the 9-5? Start ups in contrast over work you and leads to burn out.

start ups lead to burn out if you're not successful. That's what most people on this site don't understand. You are in control, you are in charge, don't blame others.

Re: How to Work Hard

#887

Post by stryker7001 »

markus_zhang wrote: post #677
devchix wrote: post #565

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I can hardly sit through an entire two-hour movie or play a video game without feeling like I should be doing something else. One summer we rented a beach house, I had delusions of lazing on the beach under a big umbrella, drinks, books, dogs, netflix, music, a endless orgy of entertainment and sunny weather. I went stir-crazy in about half a day, there's only so much lazing about I can do, after 2 movies I thought…

I have the same feeling, out of the fact that I have not achieved anything I want in my life so far and I can't adjust my targets according to my shortcomings. Everytime I take a vacation I feel bored from the 2nd or 3rd day and want to _do something_. Maybe I can indulge myself in one night of games/movies but the second night I'd definitely feel very uneasy. And frankly the older I am, the stronger the feeling is.…

maybe its time to be honest with yourself. you don't have the drive to achieve something big. you watch movies as your big night to relax. do something better. who feels accomplished after watching a movie. cmon. the amount of people on this site that lie to themselves is too much.

Re: How to Work Hard

#889

Post by rgifford »

Gatsky wrote: post #881
rgifford wrote: post #690

I worked my way through college as a mover (and came out the other side with high 5-figure debt). Many of the older guys I worked with had drug habits. I worked 16-hour days with those guys. They'd get on me for not running up stairs, for packing with too little paper around glass, for setting things down more than once. None wrote articles entitled "How to Work Hard." None knew Warren Buffet as a child (see Gates).…

Note that everyone on this forum is prima facie remarkably privileged compared to someone in this world. 'We' all went to some kind of school as opposed to no school. 'We' all have amazing technology at our finger tips, as opposed to lacking basic nutrition and sanitation and personal safety. The difference between 'us' and the abject poor is much greater than the difference between 'us' and PG or Bill Gates. The abj…

It's an article called "How to Work Hard" that doesn't once mention luck, psychology, or basic human needs.

What do you get from the success how-tos of multi-millionares? Do you really not see it as self-serving? Disclose survivorship bias, incredible privilege, and impossible odds and I'm in... I think? At that point I'm still unclear why the rich have something useful to say here that Maslow or other academics don't.

Post reply on HN