I like playing with ideas and code as much as the next guy. But I have this distinction between things I do to learn and things I do to create results useful fo

I like playing with ideas and code as much as the next guy. But I have this distinction between things I do to learn and things I do to create results useful for others. For the later I need to find efficient ways to create what I need to create or I will take too long and the need is gone and my time is wasted. Ultimately I want to be able to tell the world that my work had a positive impact in some form. I do not want to be the guy who did useless things. This is my main motivation these days.