Everyone I’ve met would be well-served thinking more about what to focus on \ stacker news ~culture

Everyone I’ve met would be well-served thinking more about what to focus on www.henrikkarlsson.xyz/p/multi-armed-bandit

8619 sats \ 36 comments \ @elvismercury 4 Jan culture

This is one of those articles that makes me feel bad about myself, since it is so obviously, undeniably true, it's something I knew already, and it's something I'm doing a horseshit job of in my own life. It's by the same guy who wrote about how a blog is for finding your people so if you liked that, you'll like this.

If you have thoughts about how this manifests in your own life, I'm all ears.

view all related items

980 sats \ 5 replies \ @elvismercury OP 4 Jan

Heads up @siggy47 and maybe @k00b -- I tried to post this originally in the BooksAndArticles territory, and it kept saying "select valid territory" so I dunno what's up, if it's a bug or what?

Culture was my next choice, so I just did it here when that kept not working.

30 sats \ 2 replies \ @k00b 4 Jan

Gosh darn, I know what it is. Thanks for reporting!

10 sats \ 1 reply \ @ek 4 Jan

at least this is a good meme opportunity:

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @k00b 4 Jan

Should be fixed. Let's see what else I broke.

31 sats \ 0 replies \ @roytheholographicuniverse 4 Jan

Happy to have you post in culture :) Thank you for sharing here!!

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @siggy47 4 Jan

Thanks for the heads up! I might not have noticed for days.

376 sats \ 9 replies \ @Naja 29 Apr

great read. Although some polymath neurons in my head are resisting the limitation of 1 to 2 priorities, and the archetype of mastery. I believe it's important to zoom in to the leafs of course, but constantly zoom out to the forest, for perpective as well. Also, why do we keep feeding the archetype that the master of one is better than the jack of all trades?

120 sats \ 2 replies \ @elvismercury OP 30 Apr

Deep thoughts.

Although some polymath neurons in my head are resisting the limitation of 1 to 2 priorities, and the archetype of mastery.

I have deeply and painfully struggled with this for my whole life, and FWIW, my conclusion is that the closest thing to a solution -- at least for me -- is to go in cycles. It would be turning my back on my principal skill to master some small number of things; but if I just flit from flower to flower, as is my tendency, I won't accrue enough of anything to be worth a damn, either.

So spending some time in pollinator mode, and some time in go-deep mode, is the best I can realistically do. I won't ever have the real expertise of somebody obsessed with a single thing, but being pretty good at a handful of things isn't a bad life either; and having broad exposure is one of life's joys.

Also, why do we keep feeding the archetype that the master of one is better than the jack of all trades?

Good question. Why do you think?

106 sats \ 1 reply \ @Naja 30 Apr

my cycle is similar, sometimes in circles, sometimes in elipses (pivot from circle and go on a tangent closer to another area of interest). Love the polinator analogy! not only it covers the moving from flower to flower for yourself, as it also contributes to teh pollination of the flowers themselves! a bit like @nym's purpose

Good question. Why do you think? I agree with the author here. It's the stories we've been told, and teh stories that were told before us, etc. over and over, going from generation to generation without much input of critical thinking.

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @nym 30 Apr

Yes!

318 sats \ 5 replies \ @anniedustan 30 Apr

Also, why do we keep feeding the archetype that the master of one is better than the jack of all trades?

I agree that we feed into this archetype far too much however I do have my own thoughts on this and I think that it was written in the article beautifully...

One of the things Steve [Jobs] would say [to me] because he was worried I wasn’t focused — he would say, “How many things have you said no to?” I would tell him I said no to this. And I said no to that. But he knew I wasn’t interested in doing those things. There was no sacrifice in saying no [to those things]. What focus means is saying no to something that with every bone in your body you think is a phenomenal idea, you wake up thinking about it, but you say no to it because you are focusing on something else.”

Personally, I can want to do ten things at once and I am also capable of doing them. However, I think that in order to be the 'master' of all ten, I need to say no to nine of those things and focus on one. Now that's not to say that I find it easy! i quite often get distracted by the other nine and can struggle to get my focus back. Once I have mastered one, I can then focus on the next.

We do need to remember, that we tend to only think of "master of one or jack of all trades" from a career perspective. We forget that whilst we are mastering something within our career, we are also a master at so much more which was also picked up in the article.

I learned this, as many do, when I had my first child. I had been a bit nervous about becoming a father. Having failed to achieve what I had expected I would, I thought strapping a child to my chest meant setting myself up for permanent failure. It did not. When Maud ate about half my time, I had to force myself to make priorities: I would care for her, I would write, and I would say no to everything else. Narrowing my life like this, at least doubled how much I could achieve. When I had more time, I had spread myself too thin to get stuff done.

We are parents, children, siblings, spouses. We have hobbies and interests outside of our careers. We have houses to take care of. Most of us aspire to be great at all the above. We want the best relationships, we want to have fun and we want to live in a clean environment.

Maybe, becoming the "master of all trades" is to focus on one or two areas at a time, knowing that we can pick up the other areas once we are ready.

I am currently a master in:

parenting (although this could be debated 😂)
running my household (my way)
coaching
weight loss management
loving my family and chosen spouse (soon to be wife 💕)

I am learning how to master:

@sn
marketing myself

I want to master: So much that it would take me all day to write the list - but it can wait!

Well... that was a longer response than I thought it would be!

150 sats \ 4 replies \ @Naja 30 Apr

Once I have mastered one, I can then focus on the next.

I agree, that mastering them all at once can be borderline impossible. Although, as you mention, we actually achieve it in many areas of our life: relationships, family, work, etc. probably on a daily basis.

Maybe the difference is that rather than "no", I chose "not now". I don't close the door, just use a "do not disturb" sign temporarly. Then come back to it. Like you say "when I'm ready" for it.

Now here's a question: what if the problem is not in teh archetype itself (because I believe we need masters as much as generalists) but the mastery's locus? is it like beauty, in teh eyes of teh beholder? What if "master of x" should just be defined by our internal locus, independant of external opinions, academia's structures and constrictions?

100 sats \ 3 replies \ @anniedustan 1 May

I agree, that mastering them all at once can be borderline impossible. Although, as you mention, we actually achieve it in many areas of our life: relationships, family, work, etc. probably on a daily basis.

I see what you are saying, however, personally each thing that I do on a daily basis that I am a master in, I have mastered individually and now am able to keep them all spinning nicely at the same time, whilst also improving and expanding my knowledge in order to stay a master.

My question to you would be... why would you want to try and become a master in lots of things all at once? What's the purpose of this?

Maybe the difference is that rather than "no", I chose "not now". I don't close the door, just use a "do not disturb" sign temporarly. Then come back to it. Like you say "when I'm ready" for it.

I agree, to a point. Wording is very important and there are some ideas/dreams that I have that I say "not now" too rather than "no". There are however, plenty of things that I say "no" to, in order to protect myself. I parent myself. An idea will form, and then I sit myself down and ask myself one question..."Does this align with what I am trying to create?"

For example: Twice now, I have had the idea of becoming a birth doula. I really love the idea. It checks all the boxes for me and would definitely suit who I am. I love to help people, I have experience, I am very in tune with peoples energy and emotion and would, if I went ahead become a master in it.

However, even though I LOVE the idea and it would be suited to me, when I sat down and asked myself, "Does this align with what I am trying to create?" the answer was no.

It would upset the dynamics I have with my family and take me away from them unexpectedly. It would restrict me as I would need to be in the area when it was within a month of their due date. It would affect my sleep pattern which is important for my health.

So, this isn't a "not now", this is a firm "no".

We don't have to say "yes" or "later" to everything in the quest for growth and mastery. We can choose to focus our efforts on what aligns with us fully.

Now here's a question: what if the problem is not in teh archetype itself (because I believe we need masters as much as generalists) but the mastery's locus? is it like beauty, in teh eyes of teh beholder? What if "master of x" should just be defined by our internal locus, independant of external opinions, academia's structures and constrictions?

Mastery is always in the eyes of the beholder.

I call myself a master at parenting, plenty would disagree.
At coaching, I have had clients who loved me and ones who thought my approach was awful. Etc, etc.

I would ask though... would you accept a surgeon operating on you because 'they' decided that they were a master, or would you want to know that they have been through the academic structures put in place?

There is room for both internal and external locus. Especially when you think about the fact that when you are mastering something, you are always begin learning from an 'external' source.

45 sats \ 2 replies \ @Naja 1 May

My question to you would be... why would you want to try and become a master in lots of things all at once? What's the purpose of this?

to break the cycle of the stories we've been told. To start a new story, full of potential and possibilities. To empower future generations to question, challlenge and write their own stories.

We don't have to say "yes" or "later" to everything in the quest for growth and mastery. We can choose to focus our efforts on what aligns with us fully.

I agree in priciple. But, if we're constantly evolving (or we should anyway!), won't the alignments move as well? now, antecipating what I think your response could be: regardless of how much you evolve, your core values should fairly remain teh same. Yes, but I'm talking about alignments, not core values. (apologies in advance if my assumption was off!)

I would ask though... would you accept a surgeon operating on you because 'they' decided that they were a master, or would you want to know that they have been through the academic structures put in place?

love que question! I would want them both in teh same doctor: the one that went through the validation of peers AND has teh confidence to consider itself a master (confidence, not hubris!).. If you manage to add there a good amount of curiosity (to keep the knowlegde and confidence up to date), tehn you have teh perfect doctor. But to realistically answer your question: it depends on the circunstance. If it's a planned surgery, I'd go for the peer-validated-paper-on-the-wall-there-are-other-doctors-in-the-hospital-if-your-hands-shake doctor. If i'm in a war zone, I'd probably place my life in the crazy-confident-even-if-bottom-of-his-class-balls-and-hand-of-iron one.

There is room for both internal and external locus. Especially when you think about the fact that when you are mastering something, you are always begin learning from an 'external' source.

Totally agree. There should be balance. nature tells us that. And am totally fine with following/continuing someone else's premisse (it's inefficient to reinvent teh weel), so long as you're trully understood it, questioned it, and after questioning still agree to it. My issue is with teh lack of critical thinking.

30 sats \ 1 reply \ @anniedustan 1 May

to break the cycle of the stories we've been told. To start a new story, full of potential and possibilities. To empower future generations to question, challlenge and write their own stories.

I find this interesting! I would ask... Is this a new story? Or is it the story that we have been fed, that if we can't do all the things then we aren't "good" enough. For years I believed that I was inferior if I couldn't do it all, not because I was incapable, but by overwhelming myself with so many tasks I was unable to focus and create what I truly wanted. I will take you back to Henry Ford's words about delegation. He knew that if he didn't know how to do something, that he could always call on someone who did. This is efficient. I am not saying that we shouldn't learn how to do things and know the inner workings of our own companies etc. However, being smart enough to learn when to delegate, helps us to be able to focus on what we need to in that moment and then if you really want to learn something you can 'do it later', when you have the physical and mental capacity to do so. Isn't it inefficient to try and do all the things all at once before we know how?
In assumption to what you may respond: "who is to say that we don't have the mental capacity and we aren't utilising it because of the stories that we have been fed" I will take you back to my first comment - is this really what we have been told? Or, is there a sense that we are inferior or unworthy if we do need to focus on one or two tasks at a time so that we can truly learn them and become a master? Is it feeling like a failure because of what we were taught that makes us feel like we shouldn't be asking for help and assistance or just admit that something doesn't 'fit' us and we want someone else to take over that particular part?

I agree in priciple. But, if we're constantly evolving (or we should anyway!), won't the alignments move as well? now, antecipating what I think your response could be: regardless of how much you evolve, your core values should fairly remain teh same. Yes, but I'm talking about alignments, not core values. (apologies in advance if my assumption was off!)

**The alignments will move yes. And so will our focuses. But that won't happen all in one go - our focuses will deepen or pivot with what we are trying to create. And, with this, it also illustrates my point that we don't need to focus on everything all at once, because we can't predict the future and where it will take us. It is only by being in the present moment and focusing on what we want right now, in this moment that we can evolve anyway.

I don't quite know what your assumed answer of me was. Was that I was going to speak about core values?**

But to realistically answer your question: it depends on the circunstance. If it's a planned surgery, I'd go for the peer-validated-paper-on-the-wall-there-are-other-doctors-in-the-hospital-if-your-hands-shake doctor. If i'm in a war zone, I'd probably place my life in the crazy-confident-even-if-bottom-of-his-class-balls-and-hand-of-iron one.

Exactly! We need both external and internal locus.

My issue is with teh lack of critical thinking

I understand your frustration with this. However, not everybody wants to be a critical thinker. Not everyone wants to be a master of something, never mind a thousand things! Each and every one of us are creating our own lives, in our own ways, and we need to have room for everyone's differences.

I am looking forward to watching you becoming the master of lots of things at once and I truly support you with it... its just not for me! I enjoy the focus and the feeling I get when I get a piece of the puzzle solved so that I can move onto the next. I thrive on becoming the master of many things, one or two at a time :)

75 sats \ 0 replies \ @Naja 1 May

we can go on and on about each story, but the fact is that there are many, and even if we just focus on one, the way we both interpret it will most likely vary! for example, I was born and raised in Portugal, and currently live in the UK for the last 10 years. The same saying "Jack/Jane of all trades and master of none", is definetely perceived differently between Portuguese and English people. In England there seems to be a negative conotation to it, while in Portugal it seems to refer more to someone's resourcefulness, and seen more positevely.

Even if we were to strip down the stories to their semantic core, we would still have our cultural context, personal experiences, etc, conducting the show of our interpretation. So yes, I agree. No matter how I push torwards critical thinking, it is still based on someone else's thinking (even if it's subconcious stories from cultural context). We need both external and internal locus. Absolutely.

I've received a cowboy hat yesterday! So allow me to use your words with a twist as I tip my hat to you: I am looking forward to watching you becoming the master of lots of things at a time and I truly support you with it (with confettis!) :)

160 sats \ 1 reply \ @siggy47 4 Jan

I know what you mean. That article made me feel pretty damn inadequate. I really like the whole explore/exploit discussion. I had never heard of this before, and I immediately thought of real life examples of both. Again, depressing as hell: those who spend their lives wandering without ever settling on anything productive, and those who set their goals too low, and limit their horizons and potential.

120 sats \ 0 replies \ @cryotosensei 4 Jan

Same here! I haven’t heard of explore/exploit until today. This pairs very well with the searching vs hunting mindset when it comes to reading, an article shared by @Coyote_Cosmico (https://www.overcomingbias.com/p/chase-your-readinghtml)

143 sats \ 5 replies \ @antic 4 Jan

Excellent read. I struggle with this myself, having a huge breadth of interest in drawing, coding, being a dad, running a bitcoin routing node, designing art in 3D modeling systems (I’m making a 1.6 acre stone wall maze for my future dream acreage).

43 sats \ 4 replies \ @siggy47 4 Jan

Damn! That's more than 3.

221 sats \ 2 replies \ @cryotosensei 4 Jan

For better or for worse, being a dad stays on the list! Haha

40 sats \ 1 reply \ @siggy47 4 Jan

Yep. For me too. A lot of successful people sacrificed their families to focus on other areas. I could never have done that.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @cryotosensei 4 Jan

Family is eternal; everything else is transcendental

298 sats \ 0 replies \ @antic 4 Jan

And that’s just the hobbies I’ve narrowed down without mentioning my full time job. I like the play the ukulele too.

110 sats \ 0 replies \ @cryotosensei 4 Jan

Thank you for the invitation. I’m glad I read this article so early in 2024, because I suspect the insights that I manage to internalise will play a pivotal role in shaping this year for me. I was just telling @birdeye21 in his post that I am aiming to be a multihypenate. He also shared about his desire to Refine this year (basically to sharpen his focus). While I understand the advantages of concentrating on less so as to gain more, my ENFP mind just wouldn’t let me focus on 1-2 priorities. I actually wrote down the four areas I’m interested to write about this year: AI, BTC, parenting and Japan.

I think reading how Henrik said that you can have 1-2 priorities, just not 3 or more gave me some comfort because I was feeling stressed out by not being able to narrow my writing interests down to 1. I like the idea that he proposed: that he will divide his time into 3 parts: 1) just exploration, 2) mainly exploration and a little exploitation, 3) solely exploitation.

Any structure that can hold my wandering mind by the reins is worth trying. In fact, before reading his article, I had told myself that I would focus on writing about Japan and BTC for the whole of this month. So, I hope to be less greedy and explore deeper at any one point in time.

107 sats \ 3 replies \ @nym 18 Apr

I tend to procrastinate sometimes and feel guilty about that, but what really is our purpose in life anyway?

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @elvismercury OP 19 Apr

What have you concluded so far?

228 sats \ 1 reply \ @nym 19 Apr

Being kind and helpful to others, family, and myself, as we are all connected somehow in this universe. I really don't know much else besides that.

6 sats \ 0 replies \ @elvismercury OP 19 Apr

Seems pretty fucking solid to me.

1059 sats \ 1 reply \ @k00b 6 Jan

This guy deserves to earn a living as a writer.

I'm repelled by pathological exploiters I think. They often know they're trapped but don't realize they've trapped themselves. I'm overwhelmed by this urge to shake them and have no right.

It reminds of this scene from Pig that I pinned to my twitter profile.

If you're struggling to truly explore, the best place to start might be doing the opposite of whatever you'd normally do. Often the handcuffs are the Chinese toy kind.

2235 sats \ 0 replies \ @elvismercury OP 6 Jan

Ironically, my biggest failing (well, among them) is being a pathological explorer. It's its own micro-tragedy, playing out on a tiny violin. Truly one of those things where it's important to get the balance right else wind up some burnt-out husk.

27 sats \ 0 replies \ @anniedustan 30 Apr

This was a very interesting read, thank you for posting!

My favourite part was:

Focus accelerates the accumulation of skills and accurate world models. In open-ended domains, such as writing, relationships, or business, there is nearly endless room for skill growth. When you spend more time, you get a better model of the situation which allows you to allocate your time better, which accelerates your rate of learning, and so on, in a nonlinear way. **Focus attracts “resources.” This is obvious in business: if you have a ferocious focus investors will start following you around begging you to take their money. Then you can use the money to pull even faster on the arms of the bandit. This is true in writing, too: the more I write, the more interesting people my blog attracts. They start giving me feedback and advice which helps me write better, which, in a flywheel, attracts more interesting people (and some money). If you are curious and kind to people around you, you attract strong supportive networks. Networks have nonlinear properties.

I wouldn't feel bad about yourself though! Being aware of this means that you have the opportunity to transform it!

What can you do to create more focus in one or two areas of your life and less focus in others?
What do you want your main focuses to be?
What do you need to say no to?