build a body of work
Building a body of work is an act of compounding, which might be one of the most powerful forces we have as humans.
Compounding lets us take a small collection of assets and turn them into a large, much more valuable collection of assets over time. By consistently adding assets to the collection and putting those assets to work for you (more on this below), over time they generate exponential results
This concept is most prevalent when referring to compound interest of investments. By reinvesting money as it is earned, over time, the value of the assets increases exponentially. This is because earnings are being generated by both the original investment and the earnings along with it. So when you add all that up over an extended time period, your money starts to grow exponentially, thanks to the power of compounding.
Building a body of work is a lot like earning compound interest.
When you consistently produce work you believe in—creative work that’s fueled by intrinsic motivation as opposed to external forces—the volume of work grows and becomes more and more valuable over time. Ideas improve by writing about them not by thinking about them, so more writing means more thinking, and better writing means better thinking. When you refine ideas over time, you continually amass a body of work that is actually connected in ways you have not yet seen.
While projects you complete might seem disparate or disjointed, when you zoom out you might find each “node” to be part of your larger “network” of work. This is a part of zoom-in-zoom-out thinking: everything you create can be connected by your web of thinking, which you could share through a digital garden such as this one.
🚧 ⚠️ Rough Terrain Ahead ⚠️ 🚧
🛑 What’s this? ✍️ This whole note is a work in progress, but the below part is really rough. So why’s it here? Share ideas before they’re ready.
Why build a body of work?
- Creates opportunity
- Builds relationships
- Advances ideas
- Original output
- Offers purpose and meaning
How to get started
- learn in public
- stack the bricks
- Share ideas before they’re ready
- refine ideas over time
- Follow your curiosity
- Follow your efforts
- Learn quickly
- Take good notes
- Write frequently
- Work in public
- Create often
- Reflect regularly
- House it online
- Link it all together