How to Do Great Work
The following recipe assumes you're very ambitious.
Decide What to Work On
This must have three qualities:
- Something you have a natural aptitude for
- Deep interest in
- Offers scope to do great work (you don't have to worry much about this)
The way to figure out what to work on is by working. Develop a habit of working on your own projects. Don't let "work" mean something other people tell you to do.
What are you extremely curious about - curious to a degree that would bore other people?
Once you've found something you're exceptionally interested in, the next step is to learn enough to get you to the frontiers of knowledge and realize they're full of gaps.
Many discoveries come from asking questions about things that people took for granted.
Four steps:
- Choose a field
- Learn enough to get to the frontier
- Notice gaps
- Explore promising ones
Steps 2 and 4 require hard work; this is why interest is required.
If you don't know what to work on, don't drift passively, try lots of things, meet lots of people.
Working
It will probably be harder to start working than to continue. Trick yourself into saying, "I'll read over what I've got so far."
Exaggerate the importance of what you're working on.
Avoid procrastination, both per day and per project (putting off the start of a project because the timing isn't right).
The way to beat it is, ask yourself, "Am I working on what I most want to work on?"
Great work entails spending an unreasonable amount of time on a problem.
If you do work that compounds, you'll get exponential growth.
Quality
Consciously cultivate your taste in the work done in your field.
If you don't try to be the best, you won't even be good.
Try to make something people will care about in 100 years.
You may have to throw things away and redo; don't be scared. To beat this, ask: If I'd already made the change, would I revert to what I have now?
Ideas
Great ideas have to be true and new; originality isn't a process but a habit of mind.
Original ideas come from trying to understand or build something difficult.
Changing context can help find new ideas; go for a walk.
Even the smartest are conservative in what they choose to work on.
Originality in choosing problems matters more than originality in solving them.
You can't have a lot of good ideas without a lot of bad ones.
People
The people you spend time with will have a big effect on your morale.
Don't marry someone who doesn't understand your need to work.
If you're smart and ambitious, it's dangerous not to be productive.
Curiosity is the best guide; curiosity never lies, and it knows more than you about what's worth paying attention to.
The factors to doing great work are:
- Ability
- Interest
- Effort
- Luck