On driving in the dark, being unsure and when hard work fails

Career Tuesday

3 ideas, 2 quotes, 1 question (Jul 06, 2021)

Wish you a Happy Career Tuesday! 

3 IDEAS FROM ME

I.

"Imagine driving a car at night. Headlights provide visibility for the next 100 metres only. Yet that is enough for a 1000 km journey in the dark.

Similarly, embrace goals where the path is not yet visible and start driving."

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II.

"Let not your worries decide for you. 

Individual anxiety is usually at a constant level.

When a major work issue is solved, you will be equally anxious about minor issues."  

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III.

"Each time you step into a bigger role - expect your work circle to change.

Friends and team-mates will be replaced. It represents growth, not loss."

2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS

I.

Annie Duke, author of Thinking in Bets, writes about how to make better decisions  - 

“What makes a great decision is not that it has a great outcome. A great decision is the result of a good process, and that process must include an attempt to accurately represent our own state of knowledge. 

That state of knowledge, in turn, is some variation of - I’m not sure.”

Source: Annie Duke book quote

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II.

Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, writes about how to work hard:

"The only way to find the limit (of hard work) is by crossing it. Cultivate a sensitivity to the quality of the work you're doing, and then you'll notice if it decreases because you're working too hard. Honesty is critical here, in both directions: you have to notice when you're being lazy, but also when you're working too hard. 

And if you think there's something admirable about working too hard, get that idea out of your head. You're not merely getting worse results, but getting them because you're showing off — if not to other people, then to yourself."

Source: Paul Graham essay

1 QUESTION FOR YOU

What did you learn from a mistake today?  

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Until next week,

Devashish Chakravarty
Author of YourSortingHat
Columnist for Careers at The Economic Times