

8 [Startup] Things I’m Better At Now That I’m 30 - cesart
http://deeringdavis.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/things-im-better-at-now

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rdl
The thing I am most improved at at 31 vs. 17 is satisficing or half-assing
anything unimportant and non-core (but doing it quickly, and ideally with as
little ongoing involvement as possible), and focusing on what is actually
core.

aka pick your battles.

And, relatedly, only fixing problems as they become necessary to solve vs.
trying to do everything in the order of how interesting it is, or how
difficult. A lot of problems just go away if you're successful, and almost all
problems go away if you fail to complete earlier goals.

aka "I'll burn that bridge when I come to it"

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bemmu
But what is the secret algorithm to small talk?

~~~
skmurphy
Three quick thoughts: 1\. Relax. It's not a test or a contest, it's more like
solving a puzzle together: what can we discover that we have in common. 2\.
Have a sense of warm curiosity about the other person. 3\. Share details from
your recent experiences and your reaction to them.

~~~
roel_v
OK but this is not an algorithm - I was a bit excited, thinking he had a 1-2-3
formula to come up with a topic that always works in any context.

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iuguy
At 31, I've found that I've had sufficient opportunities to learn from the
experience of screwing up to screw up less than in my 20s. I'm also fairly
certain that the difference between success and failure is not screwing up
enough for it to kill you.

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icco
It's interesting, I know a few early twenties startup founders (plus just a
lot of college aged people) and very few have the arrogance that you claim to
have had. In fact most follow the majority of your advice without having read
your post, although that doesn't make it any less valid.

But what I'm really trying to ask, is I'm wondering if in ten years the
maturity of the average young founder has changed. Are the people who start
tech startups at 21 a different type of people than those who started them in
the previous bubble? What changed? Where did the arrogance go? Or am I just
hanging out with the wrong crowd?

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baddspellar
When I was young I had an astonishingly good memory, and I could keep a
remarkable amount of information in my head, so I never really had to write
anything down. One wise manager warned me to be careful about relying too much
on my strengths, so I did put effort into being more organized and to keep
better records. I also worked on being more systematic, creating mini-project
plans for everything I do. Now that I'm 47, I'm really glad I put in that
effort.

Ummm, what was I saying? Sorry, I forgot. ;-)

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dansingerman
Everything about getting older is great, bar the actual physical ageing.

~~~
tyneman
Up to a point, after which one's also at greater risk from various brain
diseases.

~~~
dansingerman
Isn't that part of physical ageing?

~~~
khafra
Learning is physical changes to the brain, too. Reputation is physical changes
to other people's brains.

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j_baker
"So it turns out that getting older isn’t all that bad. Sure, people say that
30 is the new 25 (or is it the new 18? I can’t keep up)."

Ahem... well based on the fact that we're seeing "startup advice from the ripe
old age of 30", I'd say it's more like 30 is the new 60. And my experience in
the Valley would seem to reinforce this. :-)

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scottkrager
Being risky without betting the farm.

Nothing wrong with betting the farm at 21 & single.

Now, 27 & married, I've found that I'm much better at taking _calculated
risks_ without betting the farm.

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edw519
Things I am worse at at 55 vs. 25: the 50 yard dash.

Things I am better at at 55 vs. 25: everything else.

Seriously.

Magic Johnson (great American basketball player) once described the difference
of being a world class athlete at 30 vs. 20: you have to be a whole lot
smarter about how you use your body and recover when competing with younger
people.

We programmers OTOH get the best of both worlds: the ability to work smarter
against a physical and mental landscape that doesn't degrade nearly as fast as
a world class athlete.

Frankly, when it comes to work, I can't think of a single thing I "used to do
better", not creativity, not work habits, not personal habits, not physical or
mental toughness.

I believe that programming, like running, is one of those things where the
performance curve can remain flat until retirement, providing you take care of
yourself. I'll let you know if it does.

~~~
efsavage
Things I am worse at at 34 vs. 25: Staying up late, coding until the wee
hours.

Things I am better at at 34 vs. 25: Not needing to stay up late, or code until
the wee hours, and yet accomplishing more.

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thinkdifferent
Seeing articles like this one makes me feel shameful about my country.

In Italy until 25 you're just a university student.

~~~
kingsidharth
That shouldn't stop you from being an entrepreneur

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thinkdifferent
You're right, on should not make up excuses.

But speaking about the future of a country, giving the young the opportunity
they are given in silicon valley is surely a good thing.

~~~
kingsidharth
No ways man, entrepreneurs don't look for opportunities to be mouth fed. They
create them. It's more fun to create outside silicon valley and then take
there and grow further. (IMO)

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jyoti00
No,getting older is not bad at all, life takes its own sweet time teaching us
its hidden tricks/ secretes to succeed:)

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wow_sig
Great read. Now that I am nearing 25, this was a question I used to ask
myself.

