The Framework
March 24, 2026
The question this series started with: what should I work on?
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List your goals. For each one, look at the value curve. What is its shape?
- Is it positive with discontinuous jumps? (Qualifying for a national team, getting hired at a top company. Most of the value is concentrated at thresholds.)
- Is it flat with a near-zero slope? (The gym. Hundreds of hours for marginal, smoothly diminishing returns. Not bad, but expensive for what it produces.) - Is it completely negative? (Smoking. The curve points down from the start.)
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Identify the real cost of pursuing each one. Not what it feels like it costs. What you actually lose if it doesnโt work.
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Pursue the goal where alignment is highest relative to cost.
Given that you now have a set of goals with upward-trending value curves and jumps you can see in the future to capture, look for three things:
- Which one is underpriced? If fewer people are pursuing it than the value warrants, the cost of winning is lower than it should be. This tends to be near the top.
- Which one involves failure or judgment? If pursuing it means someone can reject you or tell you no, the value is probably being obscured. Fear pushes people away from these goals, which is exactly what makes them underpriced.
- Which one do you enjoy doing?