It really is shocking how many marketing practices and how much of the sales mentality is stuck in the Glengarry Glen Ross era. Time for the lines between dev and, basically, the rest of the business to blur for good!
Never realized there were so many ways to go about creating space for deep work. I see and use the Bimodal strategy most often, but I'm interested in how Rhythmic might work. Personally that last one, Journalistic, just seems like setting yourself up to never get anything done.
Never realized there were so many ways to go about creating space for deep work. I see and use the Bimodal strategy most often, but I'm interested in how Rhythmic might work. Personally that last one, Journalistic, just seems like setting yourself up to never get anything done.
Faster load time, easier scalability, and the overall affordability that these two elements introduce are probably the strongest argument in favor of looking into static site generators.
Diffuse thinking is becoming harder and harder to come by because it's so easy to stay connected 24/7! I try to spend some downtime (walking, cleaning, shopping, etc.) every day without my phone to give my brain time to slip into this kind of thinking. Great research!
Increasing developer longevity is an especially interesting point. As it turns out, developers are actually humans who appreciate variety and want to take pride in their work!
I track my time, too, and my biggest complaint is how long it takes. I think it's a great idea for companies to show why time tracking matters so it doesn't feel so futile.
I think it's really important to highlight the fact that one deployment option isn't better than the others. Instead, it's relative to what resources you have and what outcome you want.
I definitely saw this issue a lot back in the agency world. The tip I like the most is to have independent thinking sessions before (and also after) coming together to brainstorm as a group.
Realistically, probably most organizations out there really don't need to spend the time or resources building a solution when super-customizable options like this exist. Just gotta get out of that mindset.
The automated data collection didn't surprise me, but somehow I hadn't thought about using bots to actually automate the analyzing, predicting, and actions that come next.
I like your point that it doesn’t only have to be about making money right off the bat. If you want to spend your spare time doing something you love and develop some new skills along the way that happen to end up getting you paid more, then awesome.
What I appreciate most is the advice to use incentives sparingly, to make goals reasonable, and to not just focus on how fast (and probably crappy) one can get the job done.
I'm far from being a developer, but I do work on the internet so I always appreciate productivity tips. I like Cold Turkey's UI over some of the other "distraction blockers" I've tried. Might have to add that to my ever-growing struggle not to get sucked into the black hole that is the internet. (Like is happening right now...)
1. Best header image.
2. Digital platforms are a pretty standard element of business on the internet today, but a lot of us don't recognize them as such. And a lot of businesses don't yet understand what they can do beyond helping process payment. I look forward to watching this symbiosis develop.
Now that the alternative workforce (freelancers, part-timers, etc.) is gaining steam, effective knowledge storage and transfer is more vital than ever. The number of hours I've watched new workers and incumbent employees spend tracking down the most basic information is insane.
Corporations are starting to see the benefits of "thinking smaller" and looking toward agile, innovative startups for mutually-beneficial partnerships. Wonder if aspects of the startup mentality will rub off on these big companies and result in a more creative business landscape in general…
Back when I worked in agencyland, capacity and time tracking were the most overlooked, underestimated factors in a project. The POs and PMs I know now would say the same. When a project goes off the rails, it can too often be traced back to one or both of those issues.
On the topic of structure, I think it's also vital in building an effective culture. Culture is important to retention; especially for those veterans with lots of valuable, day-one knowledge. Without some kind of belief structure that keeps existing workers and new hires on the same page, how can you possibly work toward the same goal effectively?
The author is totally right. As a freelance writer, thinking about selling does make my skin crawl. What really helps me is the persistence outlined in step 4. I keep track of my contacts and what I've done to build relationships with them over time. Eventually, many find themselves needing my services or coming across someone who does.
I'm all for transparency. To me, AI feels like another avenue in which those who are truly engaged in their jobs will excel and those who aren't will get found out. In most cases, I think AI will be a rising tide that lifts all ships and it's smarter to start figuring out how it works for your business now rather than scrambling to catch up when it inevitably becomes the "norm."
Value is becoming a major differentiator between the winners and losers. It's great that Optimist goes above and beyond with kick-ass content. Seems like it's working!