I agree with almost everything said here, especially the value of curiosity and experimentation.<p>A few thoughts:<p>- Every project is at its most exciting right in the beginning when it's new, and toward the end where the end is in sight. The trick is staying engaged and interested in the long, flat middle where progress comes in small dribs and there are frequent setbacks.<p>- Another point I wish the essay made is that many projects reach a point at which it is best to reveal it to others. That is one of the most scary parts, of exposing oneself to criticism and doubt. It's what petrifies so many people from even starting. But if you embrace it not as the end, but as part of the process and a natural part of the evolution of the idea, it can itself be turned into a motivator. It's your first milestone. You WANT to get to that point, as a checkpoint. Seek out the feedback, adjust, and press on.<p>- In fact, more should be said about the emotional part of doing projects. The love (or lust), the fear, the frustration, the doubt, and yes, the joy. All those human emotions are part of doing any work. We can run away from it and try to avoid it, or realize it comes with the territory.<p>- Another thing that comes with experience and age is knowing what to say NO to, and avoid getting pulled away into the tributaries. It's easy to get distracted by side quests and to engage in bike-shedding. In fact, sometimes it's necessary for one's mental health. But it is best to keep an eye on the main goal that got us excited about the idea in the first place. Knowing when the break is over and it is time to get back to main path is a trick that seems to only come with age.<p>- Lastly, there is great value in brevity (this is not a critique of PG's excellent essay :-) Imagine meeting a friend and they ask what you are working on. You tell them a long, complicated story, and their eyes glaze over. Next person, you learn to shorten it. Same result. You iterate. Soon, you've boiled it down to a short sentence you can rattle off without thinking. That's the nugget of the idea. The through-line. It's the blurb on the back of the book, the opening line of the website, and the executive summary of the grant application or pitch deck. At some point, all works need to be explained to someone else, before they become Great Works.