Founders – #314 Paul Graham (How To Do Great Work)

Intro

In this episode of the “Founders” podcast, Paul Graham’s essay “How to do Great Work” takes center stage. Graham outlines a recipe for achieving greatness in your work and offers valuable insights on finding your passion, pursuing your interests, and overcoming obstacles. Join us as we explore the key takeaways from this thought-provoking episode.

Main Takeaways

Choosing the Right Work

• Choose work that aligns with your natural aptitude, deep interests, and offers the potential for greatness.
• Great work expands people’s ideas of what’s possible, so focus on doing something important exceptionally well.
• Follow your interests and curiosity to find what you love to work on and become a learning machine.

Exploring and Starting Projects

• The best way to figure out what to work on is by working, so pick something and get started.
• Finding your life’s work often requires starting multiple businesses and exploring different projects.
• Develop a habit of working on your own projects and preserving excitement to stay motivated.

Challenging Assumptions and Pursuing Outlier Ideas

• Don’t let others dictate what work means to you; always strive for what you love to work on.
• Challenge assumptions in your field and ask questions to uncover overlooked possibilities.
• Great work often has a tincture of strangeness, so boldly chase outlier ideas.

The Journey to Finding Your Path

• Discovering your life’s work may involve a series of events, adventures, and chance meetings.
• Curiosity, wide-ranging interests, and strange tastes can lead to finding the right thing to work on.
• Trick yourself into working even when you don’t feel like it to start new projects and explore new passions.

Overcoming Challenges and Staying Focused

• Distractions such as pretentiousness, fear, money, politics, and others’ interests can lead you astray.
• Stick to what genuinely interests you and focus on doing good work, rather than trying to please a sophisticated audience.
• Consistency, perseverance, and managing your inner monologue are key to achieving greatness.

Summary

Choosing the Right Work

Paul Graham emphasizes the importance of choosing work that aligns with your natural aptitude, deep interests, and the potential for greatness. By expanding people’s ideas of what’s possible, you can make a significant impact. To find your life’s work, follow your interests, become a learning machine, and stay curious.

Exploring and Starting Projects

Graham advises starting multiple businesses and projects to discover your true passion. By working on your own projects and preserving excitement, you can stay motivated and focused on achieving greatness. Don’t be afraid to switch to something more exciting if you discover it along the way.

Challenging Assumptions and Pursuing Outlier Ideas

To do great work, challenge assumptions in your field and ask questions that others may overlook. Boldly chase outlier ideas, as great work often has a touch of strangeness. By exploring overlooked possibilities, you increase your chances of success.

The Journey to Finding Your Path

Finding your life’s work may involve a series of events, adventures, and chance meetings. Embrace curiosity, indulge in wide-ranging interests, and pay attention to your strange tastes. Trick yourself into working even when you don’t feel like it to start new projects and explore new passions.

Overcoming Challenges and Staying Focused

Avoid distractions and stick to what genuinely interests you. Pleasing a sophisticated audience is not the goal; focus on doing good work that excites you. Consistency, perseverance, and managing your inner monologue are essential for achieving greatness in your work.

Conclusion

Paul Graham’s essay “How to do Great Work” provides valuable insights and guidance for anyone seeking to achieve greatness in their chosen field. By following your natural interests, challenging assumptions, and staying focused on what genuinely excites you, you can make a significant impact and find fulfillment in your work. Remember, the journey to finding your life’s work may be filled with twists and turns, but staying curious and embracing new opportunities will lead you to success.