I've actually always thought about things, too, and it'll be nice to hear people's thoughts. I know there are important problems and there are interesting/exciting problems. However, I'm always trying to find problems that are both interesting and important to work on because an important problem might necessarily be interesting. I might get bored along the way.
I've heard other people say that it's better to optimize for importance because when those types of problems are solved, they help a larger number of people. Still, I think the person who set's out to solve the problems should always ask what they want to achieve personally since working on interesting/exiting problems or important problems both have their own tradeoffs.
I've been working on next generation Special Economic Zones (essentially Charter Cities) for 20 years. It is a long slog, and because so much depends on progress with governments, I often focus on other things while getting to the next stage. But it is definitely extremely important, which is why I've stayed involved for the long haul.
I've actually always thought about things, too, and it'll be nice to hear people's thoughts. I know there are important problems and there are interesting/exciting problems. However, I'm always trying to find problems that are both interesting and important to work on because an important problem might necessarily be interesting. I might get bored along the way.
I've heard other people say that it's better to optimize for importance because when those types of problems are solved, they help a larger number of people. Still, I think the person who set's out to solve the problems should always ask what they want to achieve personally since working on interesting/exiting problems or important problems both have their own tradeoffs.
I've been working on next generation Special Economic Zones (essentially Charter Cities) for 20 years. It is a long slog, and because so much depends on progress with governments, I often focus on other things while getting to the next stage. But it is definitely extremely important, which is why I've stayed involved for the long haul.