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Honestly though what percentage difference does this make in productivity and is that percentage really going to be the difference between a startup's success a

Honestly though what percentage difference does this make in productivity and is that percentage really going to be the difference between a startup's success and failure? Being fired or not? Being happy or not? If the thing makes you happy then that's one thing. If you think getting 10% or 20% more work done is going to move you from mediocre to exceptional or is going to make you happy, I beg to differ.

mej10 12y ago
(assuming) 10-20%, compounded over as long as you can sustain it. It can make a huge difference. Also, they make most people feel fantastic and like they can conquer the world. Is it really any question why people would find that appealing?
- whybroke 12y ago
  Does labor compound? My understanding is that say a freelance carpenter who works 20% harder for 40 years ends up about 20% richer not 1.2 ^ 40 = 1469 times richer >Also, they make most people feel fantastic and like they can conquer the world. Is it really any question why people would find that appealing? Perhaps, but what is the delta increase in zeal for their project. Presumably they were tolerably enthusiastic before taking the pill. Is the difference significant? Now if it makes the user feel better then that alone might be a good reason for taking it. But let's not suppose that a bad project or feckless employee is going to become the next google or Einstein because of a pill.
  - jdefr89 12y ago
    Crystal meth and heroin make a user feel better.. Should we hand that out as well?
    - whybroke 12y ago
      I have no opinion on the this decade's fashion concerning evil vs good drugs. But expecting life changing increase in productivity from any of those things would be an error.
  - mej10 12y ago
    There are three areas I am aware of where labor can absolutely compound (in terms of output): business, software, and learning. > Perhaps, but what is the delta increase in zeal for their project. From my personal experience, it can increase dramatically. This is across the board. Whether it is something I am actually interested in doing or just drudgery. > But let's not suppose that a bad project or feckless employee is going to become the next google or Einstein because of a pill. Of course not, but it can really help. People can also become psychologically/physically dependent on them as well -- they aren't without risks.
    - whybroke 12y ago
      >There are three areas I am aware of where labor can absolutely compound (in terms of output): business, software, and learning. Well this would mean that every 10 times engineer ends up 10^20 richer than average at the end of his career. Since that far exceeds the planet's wealth, I am somewhat skeptical. And if there are no 10 times engineer, even a five times engineer would end up roughly a hundred trillion times wealthier than average. So I humbly submit there's a flaw in the idea of literal compound labor value.
      - mej10 12y ago
        If you want to be (unnecessarily) pedantic, I never said what the frequency of the compounding was. I didn't realize we were trying to come up with a realistic model of expected utility in these three fields. If you don't want to believe that work put into these can compound over a person's life, thats fine. You're wrong, but that's ok. -- just don't pretend to pick it apart by applying math to an informal discussion.
danneu 12y ago
There's more to it than just a general percentage-based productivity boost. It's also about gaining the energy to drill down into things you otherwise couldn't be faffed to care about. People always joke about popping amphetamine and organizing their sock drawer in incredible detail. Apply that to some product you're working on. In software, it's common to gain the energy to spend time coming up with the perfect abstraction. Or fleshing out those API docs in great detail. Or really just fully immersing yourself in a problem and your solution. Often things you otherwise simply wouldn't ever do because your sober self isn't going to spend half a day obsessing over the UX of a form. It's not just about getting more work done.
tomrod 12y ago
Is this really a thing? I've noticed in my life I've never had a real need for ADD/ADHD drugs to focus deep. Is it uncommon to be unable to do so?

mej10 12y ago

(assuming) 10-20%, compounded over as long as you can sustain it. It can make a huge difference. Also, they make most people feel fantastic and like they can conquer the world. Is it really any question why people would find that appealing?

whybroke 12y ago
Does labor compound? My understanding is that say a freelance carpenter who works 20% harder for 40 years ends up about 20% richer not 1.2 ^ 40 = 1469 times richer >Also, they make most people feel fantastic and like they can conquer the world. Is it really any question why people would find that appealing? Perhaps, but what is the delta increase in zeal for their project. Presumably they were tolerably enthusiastic before taking the pill. Is the difference significant? Now if it makes the user feel better then that alone might be a good reason for taking it. But let's not suppose that a bad project or feckless employee is going to become the next google or Einstein because of a pill.
- jdefr89 12y ago
  Crystal meth and heroin make a user feel better.. Should we hand that out as well?
  - whybroke 12y ago
    I have no opinion on the this decade's fashion concerning evil vs good drugs. But expecting life changing increase in productivity from any of those things would be an error.
- mej10 12y ago
  There are three areas I am aware of where labor can absolutely compound (in terms of output): business, software, and learning. > Perhaps, but what is the delta increase in zeal for their project. From my personal experience, it can increase dramatically. This is across the board. Whether it is something I am actually interested in doing or just drudgery. > But let's not suppose that a bad project or feckless employee is going to become the next google or Einstein because of a pill. Of course not, but it can really help. People can also become psychologically/physically dependent on them as well -- they aren't without risks.
  - whybroke 12y ago
    >There are three areas I am aware of where labor can absolutely compound (in terms of output): business, software, and learning. Well this would mean that every 10 times engineer ends up 10^20 richer than average at the end of his career. Since that far exceeds the planet's wealth, I am somewhat skeptical. And if there are no 10 times engineer, even a five times engineer would end up roughly a hundred trillion times wealthier than average. So I humbly submit there's a flaw in the idea of literal compound labor value.
    - mej10 12y ago
      If you want to be (unnecessarily) pedantic, I never said what the frequency of the compounding was. I didn't realize we were trying to come up with a realistic model of expected utility in these three fields. If you don't want to believe that work put into these can compound over a person's life, thats fine. You're wrong, but that's ok. -- just don't pretend to pick it apart by applying math to an informal discussion.

danneu 12y ago

There's more to it than just a general percentage-based productivity boost. It's also about gaining the energy to drill down into things you otherwise couldn't be faffed to care about. People always joke about popping amphetamine and organizing their sock drawer in incredible detail. Apply that to some product you're working on. In software, it's common to gain the energy to spend time coming up with the perfect abstraction. Or fleshing out those API docs in great detail. Or really just fully immersing yourself in a problem and your solution. Often things you otherwise simply wouldn't ever do because your sober self isn't going to spend half a day obsessing over the UX of a form. It's not just about getting more work done.

tomrod 12y ago

Is this really a thing? I've noticed in my life I've never had a real need for ADD/ADHD drugs to focus deep. Is it uncommon to be unable to do so?