4 ms·
I'd rework Paul Graham's list a little, as the first two items are phrased in negative terms (it's easier to do stuff than to not do stuff). "Follow your dream
by IsaacL 14y ago
I'd rework Paul Graham's list a little, as the first two items are phrased in negative terms (it's easier to do stuff than to not do stuff).
"Follow your dreams; take a break; say what you think; cultivate friendships; be happy."
The idea of putting them at the top of your todo list is interesting. At the moment I organise myself with Trello, one list per project, and at the top of each list I have a card that reminds me why I'm doing the project. Every now and again I check these cards to see if any projects should be culled -- if they're not meeting their goals, or if there's a better way to achieve those goals, or if I no longer care about those goals.
Keeping long-term priorities in mind when caught up in the midst of your daily tasks seems like a winner. Your life is lived one day at a time, after all -- if you don't seize the day, you won't seize your life.
Anyway, the whole idea of combining your todo list with your bucket list -- your daily goals with your life goals -- is interesting. I've seen a few startups based on this idea (evr.st, Goalhawk). It'll be interesting to see if the model works.
- knowtheory 14y agoI dropped by to make precisely your first point. Re: adding items to your todo lists, i feel like PG's 5 exhortations (which seem more like general advice than specific prescriptions) fit into something like the "epics" that were recently introduced into Pivotal Tracker, than actual items to do. One should take a look at each of the items placed on a todo list and ask "does this item take me closer or further from my goals?"
- Tyrannosaurs 14y agoI think take a break misses the point of the second one. The spirit is closer to what my father always says - no-one ever died wishing they'd spent more time in the office. Take a break makes it sound like an hour or two out rather than what it is, basically saying it's really not all about work.
- pg 14y agoI didn't phrase them that way by accident. "Follow your dreams" is too strong. I wrote about that here: http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html. "Don't work too much" is phrased that way because it really is a matter of avoiding something.
- aantix 14y ago>Don't work too much Then why advocated startups "as a way to compress your whole working life into a few years." So is this balance only good after you've "made it"? http://paulgraham.com/wealth.html http://paulgraham.com/wealth.html
- pg 14y agoThe phrase "don't work too much" doesn't mean "don't do a lot of work today." It means don't let work take up your whole life. Starting a startup is the best way to do that, if you're suited to it. Note the word "compress" in the passage you quote.
- javajosh 14y agoThis implies that you advocate working very hard for what is essentially an early retirement.
- loganfrederick 14y agoOr at least working very hard on one thing so you can spend your time doing whatever else you care about, which may be "working" on other passion projects.
- pg 14y agoSort of. More like working very hard till you achieve financial independence, after which you can do whatever you want. You don't have to stop working; you just never have to work on anyone else's terms.
- neilk 14y agoWould you agree that adjusting expectations might also be a way to get there, at least partially? "Financial independence" isn't just a measure of wealth, it's also a measure of one's own personal burn rate.
- 14y ago