Subject
7 entries
Work
Bookmarks
Why 'Do What You Love' Is Terrible Advice
Jeff Haden's Inc.com argument against 'do what you love' as career advice — because passion doesn't precede competence, it follows it. The better advice is to get very good at something, and love tends to develop from mastery.
HOWTO: Be More Productive
Aaron Swartz's guide to being more productive — a frank look at procrastination, motivation, and how to actually get things done. One of his most-shared posts; the advice is unusually honest about the psychological realities of productive work.
In Praise of Idleness
Bertrand Russell's 1932 essay arguing that four hours of work per day is sufficient for a good society, and that the cult of work is a moral holdover from a class structure that needed laborers to stay busy. One of the clearest critiques of the work ethic ever written.
The Science of What Motivates Us to Get Up for Work Every Day
Buffer's survey of the research behind what motivates people at work — covering intrinsic motivation, autonomy, mastery, purpose, and the surprising failure of money as a primary driver. Useful framing for understanding why good jobs feel good and bad ones feel hollow.
Freelancing: A 6-Month Retrospective
Mike Rooney's honest retrospective on his first six months of freelancing as a software engineer in 2012 — what worked, what didn't, and the unexpected realities of self-directed work. Useful as a primary document from the early independent-worker wave before 'digital nomad' became a cliché.
Work, Life, and Side Projects
Smashing Magazine piece on maintaining side projects alongside full-time work — why they matter for motivation and growth, and how to protect the time and mental energy they require. Written at the beginning of the indie hacker/maker cultural wave that peaked around 2015-2018.
Do What You Love
Michael Abrash's post on joining Valve and the 'do what you love' principle — a meditation on how career satisfaction relates to craft mastery rather than passion alone. Written just as Abrash joined Valve from Intel after years in graphics programming.