Things to remind myself about
Great questions don't appear
suddenly. They gradually congeal in your head. And what makes
them congeal is experience. So the way to find great questions is
not to search for them — not to wander about thinking, what great
discovery shall I make? You can't answer that; if you could, you'd
have made it.
suddenly. They gradually congeal in your head. And what makes
them congeal is experience. So the way to find great questions is
not to search for them — not to wander about thinking, what great
discovery shall I make? You can't answer that; if you could, you'd
have made it.
paulgraham.com • What You'll Wish You'd Known
The mathematical genius Alexander Grothendieck once had a metaphor for solving problems. He suggested that instead of forcing open an impossibly hard kernel with a hammer and chisel, one should simply let it sit in water and wait. Over time, the shell softens and opens with ease. This is also true in writing; time is the only non-substitutable... See more
Epiphanies Come From Waiting
Objectives are well and good when they are sufficiently modest, but things get a lot more complicated when they’re more ambitious. In fact, objectives actually become obstacles towards more exciting achievements, like those involving discovery, creativity, invention, or innovation—or even achieving true happiness. In other words (and here is the... See more
Joel Lehman • Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective
What makes work good is time to read, think, slow down, and create a rich inner life. In other words, good work comes from slowing the fuck down and trusting that good ideas will come through if we give ourselves enough time and space to see them.
Maybe it’s not the achieving stuff that makes us happy, but rather the act of chasing after achievements. Most people need to feel that they are contributing to society. At least for me, when I try to picture my ideal days, it doesn’t matter if I’ve accomplished anything in the past. But my visions always involve working towards some kind of goal... See more
dynomight • Nobody optimizes happiness
“In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still.”