A Nerd in a Cave. The first few days of any significant overseas trip, I’m a jerk. It’s not just the jetlag that’s poisoning my attitude; it’s the lack of context. I get twitchy when I don’t know where my stuff is. Combine that with the fact that no one is speaking English, there are two toilets in the bathroom, and I have no idea what time it is and you can begin to understand why I’m in such a foul mood. Three days in, I’m sleeping, I know it’s called a bidet, and I’m working hard on my Italian R and U sounds. I’m having fun, but I’m still thinking about my lack of context. I’m thinking about the familiar place I’ve built so that I can work. The Cave The picture on the About page is my Cave.
My Cave is my intellectual home. The nerd Cave has some specific traits: A computer on a desk with ready access to the Internet. It’s an ominous name: Cave. The Zone Each weekend morning, my process is this: I wake up, walk up stairs, sit down at the computer, and figure out what is happening on the planet. Yes. First-Time Startup Entrepreneurs: Stop Fucking Around. Editor’s note: Paul Stamatiou is Co-founder of Picplum, a Y Combinator-backed photo printing service, where he obsesses over both design and development. He also co-founded Notifo (YC W10) and Skribit. Follow him on his blog, PaulStamatiou.com, and on Twitter: @Stammy. Reminisce with me for a bit. Do you remember the first time you got an Internet connection? When I first visited California for my Yahoo!
Every time I drive into San Francisco and see the skyline, it’s a strong reminder that I’m fortunate to be in a time and place where I have wanted to be for so long, with such a vibrant and strong tech community. This is all started with a tweet of mine. I’m going to teach a course for first-time startup entrepreneurs called stop fucking around and get back to work.— Paul Stamatiou (@Stammy) April 23, 2012 We are in an amazing time right now — perhaps the perfect time to build companies. Your workdays are sacred Think about the opportunity cost here. I will make one exception though. 9 Keys to Business & Career Success. I'm fortunate enough to know a number of remarkably successful people. Regardless of industry or profession, they all share the same perspectives and beliefs.
And they act on those beliefs: 1. Time doesn't fill me. Deadlines and time frames establish parameters, but typically not in a good way. Forget deadlines, at least as a way to manage your activity. Average people allow time to impose its will on them; remarkable people impose their will on their time. 2. Some of your employees drive you nuts. You chose them. Think about the type of people you want to work with. Then change what you do so you can start attracting those people. Successful people are naturally drawn to successful people. 3. Dues aren't paid, past tense. No matter what you've done or accomplished in the past, you're never too good to roll up your sleeves, get dirty, and do the grunt work. Remarkably successful people never feel entitled--except to the fruits of their labor. 4. 5.
Ask people why they have been successful. Preparing for next-gen workers, with next-gen brains. FORTUNE -- Some call them "digital natives," and they're everywhere. You may even be raising some right now. They're the next generation of workers, and they include anyone who has grown up with constant access to the Internet. This state of digital immersion has sculpted their brains in ways that people have never experienced before.
"Organizations need to recognize that, " says David Pescovitz, research director, for non-profit research center Institute for the Future, "because you're seeing a transformation in how people work. " Of course, "digital natives" aren't a homogenous group with equal access to technology, and their brains don't adapt to their environment in the same way. And experts agree that much more research on the impact of the digital world on neural development is needed. But it's becoming clear that digital natives think in a novel way. As the brain develops, it reinforces the neural pathways that it finds most useful. MORE: Asia's 25 hottest people in business. Sheryl Sandberg Leaves Work at 5:30 Every Day — And You Should Too.