Web developer with a preference for Ruby on Rails
Next time you make a goal or come up with a plan, think about this. Make note of your primary source of motivation to complete the goal/plan, and then assume that it is not going to take you through to the end. Supplement with alternative sources of motivation.
— A Shotgun Approach to Motivation by Buster Benson
I love my steel hardtail frames, but even I have to admit this 29er from Maxlight looks amazing.
So tonight, I deployed my first version of a plain text journalling product to Heroku. It's finally up and running! Those little hours here and there are finally paying off and now I have scratched the initial itch and provided a better way to write to my journal from anywhere.
After the excitement of deployment and seeing it work I was then tempted to power on through for another couple of hours and start the real work of implementing basic features, styling web pages and other things.
I'm going to hold back though and wait for another window of time to work on it. For the moment it's doing the most basic functional thing it needs to do, which is better than nothing. Yeah, it might be great sitting up for another couple of hours, but I'll only be robbing myself of energy from tomorrow. Also by the sounds of the weather on the window, I think it's going to be a hell of a cycle getting into work in the morning.
So until I can schedule more code time with my side-product, I'll hold back.
I'm 35 today!
It probably doesn't mean much to many people when they turn 35 or any other age really for that matter, but for me this year feels different and that's in a good way. Let's wind the clock back a few years first though.
When I turned 30 I was pondering on my career and what I wanted to achieve. I hadn't produced anything that I would call art (well in my case as a developer, a web application of some kind), and so I started thinking about what I wanted to achieve in my career in the next five years. I had thoughts and ideas, but no plan. Five years later I still haven't produced anything that I could put out there and say "Yip, I made that".
After a couple of years, I lost track of my ideas. I carried on with my job as a developer for a small consulting firm and tried to keep my development skills up to speed by playing with some programming languages in my spare time. I even produced a small mind mapping blog for a couple of years that let me practice some writing for a while.
Fast forward to today and I still haven't produced anything career wise that I would call mine, but it's not something that I am going to lose any sleep over.
Which brings me back to today. So why do I feel like everything is in the right place?
Well at the start of the year, my wife and I found out that we were going to be parents again. We already have a five year old son, so it's great news that he will have a younger brother or sister in August when the baby is due.
At home, we're also kicking off a project to convert our garage into a multi-purpose room. Mainly it will be sitting room, but I'm also claiming a section of the room as a more practical place to do more sideline work. I don't have what you would call a great area for working when I am at home, so it's good to know that in the future there will be a better place for turning some ideas into reality.
My career is in a good place at the moment. I'm using my preferred tools and languages on a daily basis and I'm also gaining more experience in working in agile software development teams. It's not long term though, no job ever is, but it's good being in place where I am learning new things everyday.
So what's different from today than the same day five years ago?
Well I'm more grounded in plans and expectations for the future. I know that I can't do it all, but instead I'm focusing on things that are close to my heart and really interest me.
I'm also a bit more realistic about my strengths and weaknesses. I know I've got skills in programming and I enjoy writing. Okay my strength in writing might be me being biased, but I do enjoy it and that's what counts. On the weakness side, I do find it difficult to maintain my focus on one thing. I've not seen my projects through from start to completion but I'm hoping to change that this year.
So what does the next five years hold?
Who knows. I certainly know that on the home front, I'm as content as a I'll ever be. I can't wait for the new addition to our family to arrive in August. Our son will be so pleased to have a younger brother or sister who could share in his love of golf!
On the career front though that's a different thing. I've started work on a small micro-product that I am hoping to launch in the spring. It's a helper for those who like keeping a plain text journal. The idea for the journalling product came after I wanted to continue writing everyday but on a smaller volume than doing my three pages of writing every day. Also I wanted a plain text archive that was in the easiest format to slice and dice as I needed. I've tried many note-taking applications in the past, but none offered the simplicity of plain text. More on that later though.
After that I have my eyes set on a second product that I hope will help people make with their decision making. These might never take off, who knows.
At least I know that I will have tried.
The world is full of ideas that can be executed with 10 to 20 hours per week, let alone 40
— All or Something by 37 Signals
Not big words, but it's sort of the same thing I've been telling myself for the last couple of weeks. Even if I only get a 5 hours a week to work on something, it's 5 hours towards the end goal.
Once my son is in bed and my stuff is organised for the next day, once all the little chores are done, once my world is in order again, I open my laptop and put in an hour or two.
It might seem that I am not making much progress, but those hours are adding up and my micro-product is taking shape. I've still got loads to do, but I know that with every hour I'm making a step towards getting this idea executed and launched.
And yes we do need another word for startups.
I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
I wish that I had let myself be happier.
— Five Regrets of the Dying With Tangents by Buster Benson
Wouldn't it be nice if you could live your life with no regrets? I already have a couple of regrets at the moment on this list, but I'm still young enough to turn these around.
I wonder if Nicholas Bate know's about this? It would tie in nicely with his Be Bold 101 book.
Productive Brainstorming Requires that you Separate Creative Thinking from Critical Thinking
I had first hand experience of this productive brainstorming at the weekend when I was collecting some ideas for a journalling application. The problem was that each idea I had was quickly followed through by my more critical side asking "How would that work?". As soon as I had an idea I would quickly invalidate it by thinking that it would be too difficult to implement. You're not going to get any ideas by doing this.
Looking back I should have simply put my ideas down first without giving them a second thought about how they would be implemented and then let them incubate.I do this quite a lot with a blog on mind mapping, but it's something that I had forgotten about at the weekend when I was trying to be creative and generate some ideas.Let your ideas grow in your mind for a while before applying the critical thinking to them.
I would recommend at least a few hours or even a couple of days between creative thinking and critical thinking.The time when your ideas are in an incubation period can give you a chance to reflect on your ideas. This isn't time when you should be thinking about the critical aspect of your ideas, instead it's just a time for the ideas you have, to sit and do nothing.While they're doing nothing you might trigger a thought to a more refined idea. Then again you might not.
You don't lose anything here but it does mean that when it comes to the critical evaluation of your ideas, you'll be familiar with each of the ideas you originally had and you'll be ready to apply some critical thinking to them.
Last year I did a favourite four of 2010. I listed my favourite blog, book, tweeter and podcast. This year I am trimming it down to just my favourite blog and book.
The reason I am skipping the favourite tweeter is that I am no longer gaining much value from Twitter like I did the last year. I'm starting to see that some people are posting stuff more to do with their personal life than what they're up to with work and projects. Yeah it's nice to hear that someone has just met the love of their life, or seen their kid take their first steps, or something else along those lines, but in 2010, I was spoiled with people who were tweeting some really good stuff. In 2011 this didn't happen so much. I'm as just as guilty as the next person of this.
The flip side of this is that I have started to see more of a benefit in reading blogs again. There was a lot of talk of social networks becoming the blogs of this decade but I don't see it happening. While I'm still subscribed to just over 200 blogs and feeds, I'm managing it easily on a day to day basis.
I used to listen to podcasts alot. However since moving to a new job, I haven't much time to tune into the podcasts that I used to listen to. Maybe this year I'll get back into catching my favourite podcasts again.
Nicholas Bate has done it again. Last year his blog was my daily recommended reading. This year, I stand by his blog again as being recommended daily reading. His
Instant MBA book and series was a great read and his current series on strategies for success is brilliant.
I'm looking forward to seeing what Nicholas will produce this year. His blog just keeps getting better and better.
Patrick Rhone's book, "Keeping It Straight" was my favourite book of the year. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but the different sections of the book and the way in which it was written was brilliant. I found it to be quite similar to Stephen King's book "On Writing".
You can find a more detailed review of it here.
There we go, my favourite blog and book from 2011. What's yours?
Declare war on passivity. Hush the inner voice that insists you’re over the hill, past your prime, unworthy of attaining those dreams. Disbelief is now the enemy, as is the notion of settling. Get hungry — hyena hungry. Get fired up. Find your backbone, and your wings.
Flap ‘em. It’s the only way you’ll be able to fly.— Declare War on Passivity by David Kanigan
I believe there is a place for this is the world of technology. I think there is a need for a Software Tailor. For instance, you have a text editor that works well but could use just a few changes to make it work perfectly for you. You take it to the Software Tailor and they do that for you. Or perhaps you go to one to build the perfect task management app to fit your specific working style. In my mind, many who program are crafts people and I think there is a growing opportunity and need for such a service by people with these skills.
— Bespoke by Patrick Rhone
Patrick Rhone's latest post on software tailoring got me thinking. Software is used by millions across the world, yet I wonder how many people are aware that some of the software they use can be tailored to their specific needs?Yes there are freelance developers out there who specialise in building plugins, extensions or custom versions of software applications, but that's the problem. These developers specialise in one application or product. They won't even think about touching anything else.Sounds to me there might be room for a number of developers who are jack of all trade developers who are prepared to dig into just about any code that is given to them and make the necessary changes.
Just a thought, that's all.
Those things we build for ourselves are guided by our own philosophy. Those things built by others are guided by theirs and through our use we accept and adopt these.
— Buying Philosophy by Patrick Rhone
At the end of the day, plan tomorrow.
Travel light. Regularly empty out the bags and wallet of the accumulated debris.
Write down their names. Nobody minds at all.
Look for the best.
Plan 'down' time as specifically as 'work'
There are hundreds of books on self-help, productivity and organisation. You could spend a fortune on these or just use this list. Click through for the rest of Nicholas Bate's fantastic list for an easier life.
It's no biggie for Buster, and it shouldn't be for anyone else.
The multiverse, the universe, the world, history, everyone alive, your friends and family, you, your behavior, what you are doing right now. You can only change one of these things, and it’s not easy, and you’ll probably fail the first 38,000 times, but by eventually changing it you indirectly change all of the others. After figuring that out, the only remaining problem is figuring out what you want to change and why.
— No Biggie by Buster Benson
Don't do it. Don't dabble with If only. Ban it from your vocabulary for 2012.
Play with if.
You know it makes sense.
— The Dark Side of If by Nicholas Bate
Nicholas Bate's post pretty much narrows down my review of 2011. I had a couple of ideas for products but didn't act on them. I spent way too much time dabbling, trying to learn and really didn't get anywhere. With some positive news at home, I can now focus on getting these ideas off the ground.
But the brain-the mind-is not a muscle. It needs distinct periods of rest, of reflection, of relaxation to be at it best. If not-like a solider in combat who has simply seen too much- it switches off in order to be able to cope. And then the deeper problems occur.
— On Fatigue by Nicholas Bate
That's my goal sorted for 2012 then. It's something that I frequently do. Always putting things that need thinking in front of getting on the bike or taking my son to the park. No more putting this off. I'm going to start limiting my time on the computer so that I can actually do other things to keep myself healthy.
During November I took part in the annual National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as it's more commonly known. The aim is simple, write a complete work of fiction in 30 days and your work should be at least fifty thousand words in length. Sounds easy doesn't it? Well I found out the hard way that writing isn't just about putting pen to paper, or finger to keyboard in my case.This is just a few observations I made during my month of novel writing.
Sounds simple advice doesn't it? Well I didn't plan ahead at all. In fact I didn't know what I was going to be writing about until a week before I started. A few things kind of got in the way and I just finished those up a few days before NaNoWriMo started.Planning ahead for something like this is important though, so make sure you give yourself a couple of weeks to mould an idea for a story. Whether it's an outline of your novel or just a list of events that will take place in your story, it helps to have something you can refer to during your writing.
Fifty thousand words in a month is a big ask, especially when there are other aspects of your life that need your attention. Family and work are two of the biggest things that you will need to balance during your time writing your novel.If the only time you can get to write is during the evening, then pick a time when you'll be least distracted. Writing with a five year old running about isn't going to benefit your focus at all. I usually waited until our son was in bed so that I could get a good couple of hours writing at night.I aimed for seventeen hundred words a day, but that isn't always possible. During the week I gave myself one night where I didn't have to meet my target number of words, but I always made up for it during the rest of the week. This was good as it gave me a little break from the routine of the week's writing.
As for the weekend, I always found that writing first thing in the morning was the best time. I set my alarm for 6am, got a coffee and started writing. Before anyone in the house had woken up and the rest of my crazy day began, I usually completed at least two thousand words. Doing this on the both days of the weekend meant I could keep the weekend nights free.Finally there's work. If you can get to your work half an hour early or an hour early, then do so. A quiet office is the perfect place to get just a few hundred words down, and even a couple of lunch hours a week can also be a good time to do some writing. I managed a few lunch breaks where I completed a few hundred words. It's didn't seem a lot at the time, but it did help.
The last bit of advice I would give is to just keep writing. Currently my novel has plot holes in it, both big and small. Okay, it's not perfect but that's why I am doing a rewrite of my novel later on. You'll get to your rewrite in good time, but during your first pass at your novel, just keep writing.Plot holes, character inconsistencies and sudden changes of themes are things you might come across and you'll be tempted to chuck the whole thing in at some point just because something in your novel doesn't make sense. Don't throw it away, just keep going. Keep writing and let your novel take care of itself.Once the month is complete, you'll have plenty of time in the next year to pace yourself and do a couple of rewrites and fix these problems in your novel. For this month though, it was all about setting the foundations of the story. It was all about just getting a story down on paper and taking part in NaNoWriMo was a great way to do it.
As for motivation, I continually turned to a couple of places that prompted me to write a novel in the first place and kept me on the right path.The first is Nicholas Bate's blog. It's not a specific blog on writing, but Nicholas has plenty of great tips on writing. It's not what you would call a how-to blog in the typical sense of the word, it's more about taking the first small steps in writing. I highly recommend you check out his writing category as it has some of the best advice and tips for getting started.
My second source of motivation was a present from my wife. After toying about writing for a few months, my wife bought me Stephen King's book, On Writing. It's a book of two parts.The first part is Stephen King's autobiography. I thought a career in writing would be a fairly straight forward and easy career, but after reading Stephen's account, I will never think that again. This month has shown me that there's a lot more to writing than I first thought.The second part is practical advice on writing from Stephen. I found this part to contain some really good writing tips. I've been able to already apply some of these to my writing, but I think I'll probably have to re-visit this book before I attempt any rewrites of my novel.
I'm used to writing blog posts, but that's the extent of my writing ever since I left school. Until I started blogging I didn't write anything, so taking part in NaNoWriMo was going to be a bit of a challenge. In the end though, I managed to succeed and on the last day of writing, I wrote my last two thousand words to finish my novel.A minor win in the grand scheme of things some might say, but for me it was a big win. I love a good story, and every week I have an idea for something different. Despite all these ideas though, I never set aside the time to turn them into something.Taking part in NaNoWriMo was daunting at first but it has shown me that I am capable of writing something. It might be good, it might be bad, but it's my first novel that I have written. NaNoWriMo was a great experience and one I hope to repeat in a couple of years.
One of the best mentors I had in business - and one whom I regrettably spent the least amount of time with - gave me three lessons about business life:
- Make some money
- Have some fun
- Leave some tracks
— Leaving Tracks by Lazarus Dodge
I've heard the quote from Steve Jobs mentioned lots of times about putting a dent in the universe, but there's something about the last bullet point in this list, that seems not as grand a task as Steve Jobs advice and therefore more achievable.
Some drafts flow while others need to be circled so all the weak spots can be tested. A few need to be neglected. Others deserve banishment.
— Draft by Execupundit
I'm just coming to the end of NaNoWriMo, and it's fair to say that I can't write to a level that I would consider worthy of publishing, but I have persevered and I'm at the stage where I have only about 3000 words left to write with two days to go. I'll consider the novel a draft, but it definitely won't be banished.
It's my second bit of freelance work of the year and my second bit of work in providing a website for a client. The experience has taught me a number of things regarding design, but perhaps the most important thing is that there are still hundreds of small companies out there still looking to make their mark on the web.
I'll never make it as a web designer, but there's plenty of business out there for developers and designers looking to earn extra experience and money.
The Kindle Fire is on trial for a number of different patent violations including one for having icons lead to an action on the screen, for instance opening an application. Others include patents from Palm for the ability to run more than one calendar at a time.
via venturebeat.com
Seriously, having an icon lead to an action on the screen has been around for decades. Patent trolls in the true sense of the word.
And Nicholas Bate has just the thing if it's your first time taking part in NaNoWriMo and you need a head start.
Me? I'm trying to clear some outstanding work so that I have more time for writing in November. Also I'm going to be using Buster Benson's terrific 750words.com each day.
