Welcome back to the 1st Law Newsletter - Friday Edition.

In this email:

• The curve of complexity

• Dream job in 20’s

• Schopenhauer’s ideal

The curve of complexity

When creating something new, your competency and aptitude to both execute and explain the idea will follow the complexity curve.

The complexity curve illustrates how at the beginning of study, in order to make it work, or to make it make sense, you must keep adding. Adding explanations, adding features, adding steps, adding details… increasing the complexity significantly until you are successful.

However, as you progress in the field, you will begin to realize what you can subtract and still maintain, or even improve, effectiveness. Steps combine, designs become more cohesive, explanations more concise. Slowly, your design will become simpler and more efficient. Your understanding has reached a point where you no longer need to mind the details. You solve the big picture so well that the details take care of themselves.

Pursue mastery in all endeavors. Recognize that mastery often appears to be simple. Cut the unnecessary details and reduce the complexity of your pursuits.

Working in your 20’s

I don’t want my dream job in my 20’s. This is a time to explore, experience, learn, develop, make mistakes, learn what you like, work bad jobs, live in dirty apartments, and slum it around the world.

If I did have my dream job right now, I would be stuck. I would have nowhere to go. Nothing to build and grow and stive towards. I would probably be happy and enjoying myself, but due to finding such an ideal vocation to early, I would be left wondering what else is out there? There is value in working jobs you do not love. When you do find something great, you will appreciate it so much more.

Granted, setting yourself up for the future is important. It would be difficult entering your 30’s with no skills, money or experience. However, I think if you can manage to save a respectable amount, what you are doing with your time is not as important, as long as you are learning and growing somehow.

If you are no longer in your 20’s please let me know what you think of this take! I did get this idea from my 21 year old sister so I am interested to hear some more mature perspectives on this topic. Credit to Marlowe for this idea.

Quote I Want To Share

Having wealth without time to enjoy it is unideal. The purpose of wealth should be to afford you time. Once you have free time, use it to study like you will live forever. Use it to plant trees that you will never sit in the shade of. Train your mind, upgrade the world, and leave it a better place than when you came into it.

Thanks for reading!

Lucas