Work
Figure out what is your core required achievement at this point in time — writing, building a data set, whatever — and do it first thing in the day no matter what.
Focus is like a super power in most knowledge work jobs. Train this ability. Protect deep work on your calendar. Support these sessions through special rituals and spaces.
... See moreThe typical large business 20 years hence will have fewer than half the levels of management of its counterpart today, and no more than a third the managers. In its structure, and in its management problems and concerns, it will bear little resemblance to the typical manufacturing company, circa 1950, which our textbooks still consider the norm…
Develop a habit of working on your own projects. Don't let "work" mean something other people tell you to do. If you do manage to do great work one day, it will probably be on a project of your own. It may be within some bigger project, but you'll be driving your part of it.
Paul Graham • How to Do Great Work
Your early writing or business will probably suck.
Mine did.
They’ll improve but only if you give yourself permission to suck first.
Ditch work-life balance in favor of sacred rest
Don't Pursue Promotions: Contrarian Career Advice from Ancient Sources of Wisdom - Cal Newport
... See moreHistorically, work looked very different. In the 1700s, approximately 90% of Americans were self-employed or engaged in family-owned trades or agriculture. Even by the early to mid-1800s, around 80-85% were independent artisans or farmers, continuing the tradition of self-employment. This dynamic began to shift dramatically with industrialization,