Today, I read the transcript of Hamming’s You and your research talk found here and that’ll be the 2nd material of his I’ll come in contact with. I think it’s a good idea to write down its essence for me.

How to choose work:

  1. Think before you work. Just hard work is not enough - it must be applied sensibly.
  2. Work on important problems. At least with these, the unavoidable struggle to make something could be worthwhile.
  3. Work on solutions you can see. “It’s not the consequence that makes a problem important, it is that you have a reasonable attack”.
  4. Work on scalable solutions. Do not solve an isolated problem except as characteristic of a class.
  5. Work on things you’re bold about. “Once you get your courage up and believe that you can do important problems, then you can”.

How to work:

  1. Don’t let up. “The good man gets on with the job, given what he’s got, and gets the best answer he can”. Alter the problem if necessary.
  2. Given two people of approximately the same ability and one person who works ten percent more than the other, the latter will more than twice outproduce the former.
  3. Practice tolerating ambiguity. Don’t wait to know everything.
  4. When you choose one thing, let go of all else and keep your thoughts on it. Your subconscious will appreciate this clarity.
  5. You can educate your bosses. If you want to do something, don’t ask, do it. Present them with an accomplished fact. Don’t give them a chance to tell you “No“.
  6. Learn to work with the system, and you will go as far as the system will support you. Or you can fight it steadily, as a small undeclared war, for the whole of your life.
  7. The appearance of conforming gets you a long way.
  8. Learn to use yourself. Your ego is good when used for your benefit.
  9. For creative living, get your problems clear and refuse to look at any answers until you’ve thought of a solution. E.g read to be updated, not to copy answers.
  10. After acheiving competency in a field, pivot. It takes courage to say, “Yes, I will give up my great reputation”.

Why people do not do great work:

  1. they don’t work on important problems,
  2. they don’t become emotionally involved,
  3. they don’t try and change what is difficult to what is easily done but is still important,
  4. they keep giving themselves alibis for this hesitation to change.