The podcast speaker makes the case for allowing oneself to pursue their work obsession at the cost of work-life balance, while also emphasizing the importance of implementing personal rituals to empower the programming experience.
Some people can find happiness by being obsessive about their life's work, even though work-life balance is highly desirable for most people. Obsession can often get things done that practical, prudent work can't.
The co-founder of Id Software, John Carmack, shares how being rich enough to buy pizza every day was a defining moment for him. He also discusses how he maintained this tradition while working long hours at Facebook Meta.
The host discusses with the guest about the different things that can become a ritual to empower the programming process, including the type of diet consumed while working, the number of screens used, and the type of keyboard used for programming.