1. Synthesize new ideas constantly. Never read passively. Annotate, model, think, and synthesize while you read

2. Learn how to learn (rapidly). One of the most important talents for the 21st century is the ability to learn almost anything instantly, so cultivate this talent.

3. Work backward from your goal. Or else you may never get there. If you work forward, you may invent something profound--or you might not.

4. Always have a long-term plan. Even if you change it every day. The act of making the plan alone is worth it.

6. Collaborate.

8. As you develop skills, write up best-practices protocols. That way, when you return to something you've done, you can make it routine. Instinctualize conscious control.

9. Document everything obsessively. If you don't record it, it may never have an impact on the world.

10. Keep it simple. If it looks like something hard to engineer, it probably is. If you can spend two days thinking of ways to make it 10 times simpler, do it.