Posts by Year

2023

12-Week Year Sketchnotes

less than 1 minute read

The 12-week year is a system to accomplish more in less time by being focused on what matters most.

2022

Hero Forge

2 minute read

Hero Forge is a website where you can design your own miniatures

Dictation

3 minute read

things have changed recently, which has changed how I dictate and transcribe.

Say it Slowly

4 minute read

Saying it slowly can lead to a better understanding of lots of things.

Freedom to write

2 minute read

this podcast host had unwittingly given me “permission” to break the rules I had made.

2021

Journaling

3 minute read

I used to be a terrible journal writer.

2020

Transitions

2 minute read

Too often we are so focused on what we are trying to do that we forget about enjoying the journey.

Quick Wins

1 minute read

By combining areas of focus with efficient goals, you can propel yourself to reaching difficult goals.

Company KPIs

2 minute read

Most critical part of KPI‘s he’s not measuring but rather in deciding what is most important.

Timeout

1 minute read

Too often we are so focused on what we are trying to do that we forget about enjoying the journey.

Learning Julia

1 minute read

Julia is a fairly new programming language which is making inroads in the data science community.

Investing in yourself

2 minute read

If you purchase an information product but will never actually apply it in your life then it’s not worth any amount of money no matter how good it is.

Think it? Ink it

2 minute read

The phrase ‘if you think it, ink it’ is actually a really good moto to live by. But it doesn’t just have to be ‘ink.’

Comparison

1 minute read

Comparison is a hard thing to avoid, especially in business.

Team Work

1 minute read

People want to feel valued.

Efficiency Metrics

2 minute read

Too often we are so focused on what we are trying to do that we forget about enjoying the journey.

Gratitude

1 minute read

One of the most important virtues that a person can acquire is the virtue of gratitude.

Do the dishes

1 minute read

Are they really that important to do or are they really just a good idea?

Customers lie

1 minute read

I’ve heard it said that all customers lie.

Marginal Gains

1 minute read

In the hands of an expert what looks like a piece of junk can be transformed into a masterful performance.

One Percent Better

2 minute read

If we do something small each day to be better, that over time we will accumulate so many small, good things we will have improved greatly.

Read the fine print

2 minute read

Try to understand the point of view and the frame of reference the person presenting you the story is coming from and then try and make you own, informed dec...

Adjustments

1 minute read

What habits do you have in your life that help you improve in all the other aspects?

One Thing

1 minute read

If you can just do the one thing, then you can call the rest of the day a success.

WWSMD

2 minute read

As developers, I think one of the biggest problems we find ourselves falling into is doing the abstractions too soon.

Diet

2 minute read

What kind of diet are you on?

Reversable

3 minute read

Adding the reversible/irreversible dimension to a decision list can help you weigh the real costs of a decision.

Shifting Gears

2 minute read

Shifting gears is a critical skill in both biking and in life.

Questions

1 minute read

The questions we ask are critical and important to our futures.

Service

2 minute read

Too often we are so focused on what we are trying to do that we forget about enjoying the journey.

Take Joy in the Journey

2 minute read

Making the most of challenges and taking pleasure in micro experiences is what brings happiness and joy.

Planting and Harvesting

2 minute read

Planting and Harvesting are really two parts of the same activity, but tending is where the real work is.

Working With Development Teams

2 minute read

When other people see the amount of time you put in, the effort you dedicate to the product and, as long as you are also putting out quality work, they will ...

Octalysis

2 minute read

title: Octalysis tags: [play] image_path: post_images/game_controller.jpg alt: “Octalysis” excerpt: “Games can be good and bad, but in the end all bad game...

Relief valves

1 minute read

No matter what that pressure level, we need to ensure we have a good relief valve.

Human-doing

3 minute read

We need to stop becoming a human-doing and instead become a human-being.

Design Thinking

1 minute read

The need for people good at design, project management and architecture is always going to be there, no matter where developers are located.

Bad Bosses

2 minute read

There really are very few bad bosses out there.

Academic vs Business

1 minute read

Just because the two sides are focused on different things, it doesn’t mean that they cannot be combined.

Carrying the team

1 minute read

Just because you are doing well right now, doesn’t mean you may not need to be carried at some point.

Take Time to Think

1 minute read

Taking time to think is something valuable, but something few of us take the time to actually do.

Testing

less than 1 minute read

Just testing a publishing method

Simple planning

3 minute read

Combining two productivity techniques can give you a great planning system.

Disruptive Tasks

3 minute read

A lack of planning on some peoples part will still force you into an emergency, no matter how hard you try to protect yourself.

2019

Questions

1 minute read

Some of the most impactful occurrences in history are due to the questions people have asked.

Informational Interviews

1 minute read

Informational interviews are one of the most useful tools for learning about a topic quickly.

Learning from feedback

1 minute read

there is no one list or universally accepted collection of attributes which make a “good” leader.

Focus on your Strengths

1 minute read

Focus on your strengths and find ways to expand them into areas and into situations where you would be naturally awkward or uncomfortable.

Thinking is Critical

1 minute read

In this day and age of knowlege work, we need to take time to actually think.

Free time

1 minute read

Having nothing to do can be one of the best places to be in.

Enjoy the simple things

1 minute read

Too often we are so focused on what we are trying to do that we forget about enjoying the journey.

Who’s got the ball?

1 minute read

Making sure tasks are well defined is one of the key responsibilities of any leader.

What do you focus on?

2 minute read

Too often we are so focused on what we are trying to do that we forget about enjoying the journey.

Get a Coach

1 minute read

Getting a coach is one of the most impactful things you can do for your career.

October 2019 MBA Notebook update

3 minute read

My focus is on getting the rest of the text completed for each image. From there I need to do some more work on finding out where I can get printed copies ma...

Changing can be hard

2 minute read

More often than not it is not the changes in technology that are the hard part to manage, it’s the people.

Find the kernel

2 minute read

We need to be much more critical in our thinking and find the essence of what the problem is we are trying to solve.

Keep An Even Keel

2 minute read

Keeping calm amid the troubles of the day is the sure way to personal leadership and development.

Rubber ducking

2 minute read

Often we just need somebody to bounce ideas off of, even if it’s just an inanimate object.

Planning

1 minute read

Planning is good…usually.

Fine Print

1 minute read

Fine print can be limiting, but also liberating. Which will it be for you?

Beginnings and Endings

1 minute read

How you handle beginnings and endings send important signals to the people you work with.

Eroding Trust

1 minute read

We may unintentionally erode the trust people have in us.

Upgrades

1 minute read

Upgrades are both adding as well as removing features from products.

Defragging

3 minute read

Slowing down and taking time to recover helps us speed up.

Small choices mean a lot

2 minute read

When making a decision it is important to know beforehand what you want out of that choice.

Immersed VR

2 minute read

Sometimes an existing technology can be leveraged to solve a business problem you didn’t know you had.

Let Things Sit

1 minute read

Letting things sit is sometimes the best strategy

Adjourning as a Team

2 minute read

Endings are just as important as beginnings, so end your project well.

Performing as a Team

2 minute read

The best place to be as a team is in the performing stage. What are some of the benefits and what are the attitudes in this stage.

Personal KPIs

2 minute read

Goals should be a continual part of life and help us enjoy it, not be a source of guilt.

Best Pratices for the Storming Stage

3 minute read

The first stage of team develpoment is storming and there are things we can do within this stage which can set us up for success in future stages.

Perceptions

1 minute read

Our perceptions limit others and ourselves in others desires to change.

2018

Best Pratices for the Forming Stage

2 minute read

The first stage of team develpoment is forming and there are things we can do within this stage which can set us up for success in future stages.

Personal OKRs

2 minute read

Measuring intangibles is hard. Here is how I’m approaching one of mine.

Enjoy the simple things

2 minute read

Too often we are so focused on what we are trying to do that we forget about enjoying the journey.

Idiot IoT

2 minute read

An renewed interest in the IoT

Hypocrisy

1 minute read

What does it really mean to be a hypocrite?

2017

Algorithms and Life

1 minute read

Computer algorithms have more to offer people than just ways to program comptuers.

Doing the bare minimum

1 minute read

Asking how much to need to do needs to be followed up with why you are asking that question in the first place.

5 Love Languages

2 minute read

Showing appreciation is not a one size fits all endeavor

Values Part 2

1 minute read

You’re the only one that can figure out what your values are

What do you value?

4 minute read

What you value is shown more clearly by where you spend your time and money.

Buckle Down

2 minute read

Sometimes you just need to double down and decide what you really want out of life

Inoculate

4 minute read

Do you have the willpower to reach your goals?

Blog Poster

2 minute read

Making future posts work on github pages is…complicated.

Review Your Process

5 minute read

Outside the three major processes, this one additional practice can have the greatest impact in your productivity and in your life.

2016

Tracking Tasks

5 minute read

Tracking: The second key element of a productivity system.

Capture Tasks

4 minute read

Capturing tasks is the first step to productivity

Where to Start?

4 minute read

One of the most difficult things about personal productivity and improvement is knowing where to start.

Farmbot

less than 1 minute read

There have been a number of interesting technologies I’ve seen this month, but the most interesting thing I’ve seen has been the farmbot. Interchangeable att...

Discord

2 minute read

This month I ran across a tool I think will make things much easier at work. Discord is a chat application much like Slack with a couple of different twists.

Disappointed

2 minute read

I tried a bit of an experiment this last week. I wrote a post two weeks ago and marked it for publication on the 9th, while I was out of town. Not only was I...

Logitech k760 Keyboard

1 minute read

A while back I picked up a Logitech K760 keyboard. It’s standard sized wireless, solar keyboard and it’s been one of the best keyboards I could get.

Book Review - Son of Justice

1 minute read

This is really just a quick look at the book and the impressions on it. It’s not a full review. I never read those things and feel like if I can get a quick ...

The Five Stages of Pull Requests

2 minute read

I’ve been back in the coding circuit for almost a year now, but I’ve never really been in a company that did pull requests as well as the team I’m currently ...

Personal Productivity with paper

2 minute read

I’ve been reading self-help and productivity books for years. I’m always interested in the latest gadget, method or trick that I can use that will help me ge...

Ticket To Ride as Scrum

3 minute read

Ticket to Ride is a popular game by Days of Wonder. In it you try to create a connections with your train lines from one city to another. You create the conn...

Conversation

4 minute read

I was listening to a podcast episode recently and one of the things the hosts discussed made me think about conversations I’ve been in and reasons for how I ...

Systems

3 minute read

Systems are a hard thing to tie down. Ultimately they are just processes which you have in place to help you manage your work load. They could be as complex ...

Changes

1 minute read

I’ve been thinking this site needed a refresh. What you see is a newly minted and merged version of the site. I’m still using the same theme, but I’ve upgrad...

Leading From Behind

3 minute read

Many people are under the impression that you need to be in charge in order to be a leader. They’re wrong.

Habits

3 minute read

I recently learned about something called the habit journal and it’s been a great additional to my routine so far. Habits in and of themselves are neither go...

Patience

2 minute read

Experienced players play the game differently

Exercism

2 minute read

Exercism can help you level-up your programming skills

The Daily Struggle

3 minute read

Due to a lack of direction on my part, I’m looking for feedback on what would be most useful to people who read this blog.

I’m Working for Others

2 minute read

I totally expect people to be offended by what I say here. It’s a given, especially on a day like today, when we as Americans celebrate Martin Luther King Jr...

After Action Report

3 minute read

I’ve been going through the Best Year Ever course by Michael Hyatt. On day two, he has you look over the last year and evaluate how it went. You are asked to...

2015

Time Off

less than 1 minute read

Just a note. I’m taking the next two weeks off and will not be posting any articles here until the beginning of the new year.

Want success? Improve!

3 minute read

I recently heard a person say that anybody who is truly successul is pratically addicted to learning and improving. Couch the idea in whatever terms you want...

Belief

4 minute read

When working toward a goal, even the nebulous goal of “Success” in a specific area, one of the first things we have to do is believe in that goal.

What I Want From Atom

4 minute read

Atom is a great editor, but I’m not quite ready to jump in with both feet just yet.

NLP

3 minute read

Words have power so

Real Fans

7 minute read

A long time fan of Science Fiction/Fantasy speaks up on the Hugo Awards of 2015

XML DB (2003)

5 minute read

I’ve dug up an interesting post I made back in 2003 about the SourceForge project “XML DB”

Curating

less than 1 minute read

I’ve been curating posts from my older blog. Here are a couple short tips I think may still be relevant.

Pay by Touch

2 minute read

I’ve dug up an interesting post I made back in 2003 about Pay By Touch. It has very striking similarities to payment situations today.

Back in the Day

1 minute read

I’ve enjoyed the time, and while summer is coming to a close, I can honestly say, I’ve had one fun-filled summer I’ll never forget and could never have done ...

2013

Tools of the trade

less than 1 minute read

There are a number of tools I find I rely on throught out the day. My intention is to make a list of them and talk about the pros and cons for each one in a ...

Activity Monitors

1 minute read

I did an analysis of the different health monitors out there before I ended up buying a Fitbit One. Here’s the table showing the various features. Eventually...