Productivity
A collection of productivity quotes I find genuinely impactful — many drawn from Zhengdong Wang's blog, along with others I've encountered over time.
Michael Nielsen, Quick thoughts on research
Learn what it means to work hard: this is surprisingly difficult. It means knowing when to push, when not. It means knowing how to vacation well and how to enjoy your life. You must not become a drudge — a surprisingly common problem among the ambitious. You must become alive to moments of leverage and creative opportunity and insight. And, of course, it also means knowing how to work incredibly hard and with great courage and determination.
Sam Altman, Productivity
It doesn't matter how fast you move if it's in a worthless direction. Picking the right thing to work on is the most important element of productivity and usually almost ignored. So think about it more!…
I make sure to leave enough time in my schedule to think about what to work on. The best ways for me to do this are reading books, hanging out with interesting people, and spending time in nature…
The right goal is to allocate your year optimally, not your day…
I highly recommend using lists. I make lists of what I want to accomplish each year, each month, and each day. Lists are very focusing, and they help me with multitasking because I don't have to keep as much in my head. If I'm not in the mood for some particular task, I can always find something else I'm excited to do.
Finally, to repeat one more time: productivity in the wrong direction isn't worth anything at all. Think more about what to work on.
Brie Wolfson, Notes on "Taste"
Though taste may appear effortless, you can't have taste by mistake. It requires intention, focus, and care. Taste is a commitment to a state of attention. It's a process of peeling back layer after layer, turning over rock after rock. As John Saltivier says in an essay about building a set of stairs, "surprising detail is a near universal property of getting up close and personal with reality."
Aaron Swartz, How to Get a Job Like Mine
Be curious. Read widely. Try new things. I think a lot of what people call intelligence just boils down to curiosity.