4 ms·

You didn't read the article so you have no idea about the 'feel' of it. You're judging it based on the title (which is on par with judging a book by it's cover

by amirmc 13y ago

You didn't read the article so you have no idea about the 'feel' of it. You're judging it based on the title (which is on par with judging a book by it's cover). As with most advice, you should take it with a pinch of salt but it is worth examining it and taking things that seem relevant to you. If you never read anything then you'll certainly close off the opportunity to find something useful. In this case, the claim about 'hours per day' is something I'll dismiss. However, the idea of 'No templates' for emails is quite useful as is the idea of keeping Playbooks (purely because it's another word for 'documentation' but people don't get excited about that one).

unclebucknasty 13y ago
>You're judging it based on the title (which is on par with judging a book by it's cover) Yes. Of course I am. Repetitive, vacuous, linkbait titles speak for themselves. That's why "linkbait" is a phrase. Also, if the title of a book is "How to Grow Grapes", then I can guess enough about its contents to determine whether it's for me. So, literally judging a book by its cover is prudent, contrary to popular belief. I mean, when you browse HN, do you scan the subjects or click and read each article to determine whether it's of interest to you? Likewise, people put thought into the titles of their articles for a reason. Still, perhaps if there weren't 8 trillion blog posts, books, articles, talks, etc. of this ilk, I'd feel differently. But, as it is, there are. >If you never read anything then you'll certainly close off the opportunity to find something useful. I'm certainly in no danger of that. I read a good bit. And, that once included my share of articles, books, etc. of the subject ilk. I am well familiar enough to know that the premise that there is value to be derived from loading up on this kind of stuff is ludicrous and counter-productive. In other words, I know the value of reading and I also know the value of not reading certain things. Again, it's not any individual article to which I object. So, your finding a helpful tip in this article is not disproving my point or even addressing it. It's the plethora of such articles, the "path to success" they promote, and the overall false premises upon which they are collectively built. You're not going to win as a founder/CEO by letting someone else do your thinking for you or by following someone else's path. There are far too many variables that go into success (including luck) and far too many decisions to be made that are unique to you. Such articles implicitly undermine people's confidence by making them believe that they need to imitate others to find success.
- lbr 13y ago
  You are right. There are tons of terrible articles on the web that claim to "have the key to success." Replicating what successful people do isn't the key. I'm just saying that your comment ("I viscerally hate these articles") belongs on a thread about a crappy article. Not on a thread about great article. This one is by a great entrepreneur and one who interacts with hundreds of smart CEOs. This article is the one others strive to be like. It shares how smart people work - it doesn't tell you how to be successful. Your comment also belongs on the thread of an article that you have actually read.
  - unclebucknasty 13y ago
    EDIT: We disagree. But, rather than try to convince you, I've removed this comment. It occurs to me that I have a different way of thinking about this that others might appreciate and find helpful. It's also part of a bigger set of "issues" that I have with the status quo. That is, it's one of several things in the current startup ethos that I believe constrains too many good people. So, rather than continue to discuss this on a soon-to-be obscure HN thread, perhaps I will find a different format for injecting a different set of more broadly empowering ideas into the environment.
    - snowwrestler 13y ago
      Edit: you removed your long comment so I removed my smart-ass remark about it.
      - unclebucknasty 13y ago
        That's awesome, champ.

by amirmc 13y ago

unclebucknasty 13y ago

>You're judging it based on the title (which is on par with judging a book by it's cover) Yes. Of course I am. Repetitive, vacuous, linkbait titles speak for themselves. That's why "linkbait" is a phrase. Also, if the title of a book is "How to Grow Grapes", then I can guess enough about its contents to determine whether it's for me. So, literally judging a book by its cover is prudent, contrary to popular belief. I mean, when you browse HN, do you scan the subjects or click and read each article to determine whether it's of interest to you? Likewise, people put thought into the titles of their articles for a reason. Still, perhaps if there weren't 8 trillion blog posts, books, articles, talks, etc. of this ilk, I'd feel differently. But, as it is, there are. >If you never read anything then you'll certainly close off the opportunity to find something useful. I'm certainly in no danger of that. I read a good bit. And, that once included my share of articles, books, etc. of the subject ilk. I am well familiar enough to know that the premise that there is value to be derived from loading up on this kind of stuff is ludicrous and counter-productive. In other words, I know the value of reading and I also know the value of not reading certain things. Again, it's not any individual article to which I object. So, your finding a helpful tip in this article is not disproving my point or even addressing it. It's the plethora of such articles, the "path to success" they promote, and the overall false premises upon which they are collectively built. You're not going to win as a founder/CEO by letting someone else do your thinking for you or by following someone else's path. There are far too many variables that go into success (including luck) and far too many decisions to be made that are unique to you. Such articles implicitly undermine people's confidence by making them believe that they need to imitate others to find success.

lbr 13y ago
You are right. There are tons of terrible articles on the web that claim to "have the key to success." Replicating what successful people do isn't the key. I'm just saying that your comment ("I viscerally hate these articles") belongs on a thread about a crappy article. Not on a thread about great article. This one is by a great entrepreneur and one who interacts with hundreds of smart CEOs. This article is the one others strive to be like. It shares how smart people work - it doesn't tell you how to be successful. Your comment also belongs on the thread of an article that you have actually read.
- unclebucknasty 13y ago
  EDIT: We disagree. But, rather than try to convince you, I've removed this comment. It occurs to me that I have a different way of thinking about this that others might appreciate and find helpful. It's also part of a bigger set of "issues" that I have with the status quo. That is, it's one of several things in the current startup ethos that I believe constrains too many good people. So, rather than continue to discuss this on a soon-to-be obscure HN thread, perhaps I will find a different format for injecting a different set of more broadly empowering ideas into the environment.
  - snowwrestler 13y ago
    Edit: you removed your long comment so I removed my smart-ass remark about it.
    - unclebucknasty 13y ago
      That's awesome, champ.