Life's Work

"Make something people

want" is the destination, but "Be relentlessly resourceful" is how

you get there.

For various reasons, I rarely start frontend first and usually start backend first. And in any situation, you'll eventually get to the backend and reach a similar challenge.

I don't try to enumerate all the big sub-projects at this stage. I just kind of get an idea of the rough shape the project will take and find one that I can build in isolation and also physically see some sort of real results

I've not found an engineer who doesn't get excited by a good demo. And the goal is to always give yourself a good demo.

it can be difficult to stay motivated and complete large technical projects. A method that works really well for me is to continuously see real results and to order my work based on that.

Scott Belsky coined the term insecurity work to describe work that does not move the ball forward, but is quick enough that you can do it multiple times a day without realizing.

Unlike insecurity work, deep work often feels elusive because it takes time.

It requires weaning yourself from distractions and being unencumbered by the highs and lows of th... See more

Invention requires a long-term willingness to be misunderstood. When you do something that you genuinely believe in, that you have conviction about, for a long period of time, well-meaning people may criticize that effort. To sustain yourself over this time, you can’t look for accolades, and you can’t rely on being understood.

Ideas start out small, weak and fragile.

In order to grow, ideas need financial capital.

But they also need emotional capital

The best way to control your emotional capital is to fine tune your internal monologue and replace your hunger for approval with a desire to grow.