In the software industry we proudly assert that we thrive on change and agility and speed. But I am afraid that — too easily — speed can become a disadvantage. We can build a McDonalds in 43 days. A medieval cathedral was built over 100 years of construction. That is why you do not experience … Read more

I remind myself of this quote when I feel pressure (from myself or others) to just ‘go faster’. Fast is fine,but accuracy is final. – Wyatt Earp Wyatt Earp (1848 – 1929) was a true character of the American Old West and reputed to be an expert with the revolver. He was among other things … Read more

This well-known meme always makes me smile. But wait! There is more! It contains a marvelous piece of wisdom. When stuck, simply break down attacking the problem into two steps. Step 1. A next trivial step. Step 2. Everything else. Then, repeat. Stuck “drawing an owl”? Draw two circles. Done. Then, draw two more circles, … Read more

Just as deadlines are necessary, they are also arbitrary and unnatural at their core. They simply act as a forcing function to get things done. To go to the moon “in this decade” was a deadline issued by President John F. Kennedy. It mobilized the funding and the will of a nation towards a goal. … Read more

“I do not do to-do lists anymore … they only accumulate an infinite amount of items and that adds stress …” Manton Reece – Founder of Micro.blog I agree. I think to-do lists can create a false sense of security, or stress, or both.  Yes, writing things down is a necessary step to keep a … Read more

When I was a young teenager, I was quite engrossed with a sci-fi book. I was comfortable on the couch reading that book when my dad ‘summoned’ me to come with him to visit some distant acquaintance on the other side of town. I agreed with a good dose of teenager begrudging. I consoled myself … Read more

Does this sound like nitpicking? Details matter! Simple, visible details that are regularly overlooked create a sort of background “cognitive grinding”. And be sure, this builds up a negative (often subconscious) emotional response from your customer towards your product. Once a customer told me: “if it does not look good on the outside, how can … Read more

I struggle writing a blog post in the middle of a planet level crisis. The truth is that a large part of me just wants to stay silent in reverence (and denial) for all the new, sudden suffering taking place in the world right now. When I think of all the different world catastrophes that … Read more

It is true, vision always runs ahead of execution. It is so easy to see what is inside our heads. But at 1:00 AM, I finish a day painstakingly laboring at what I think is possible, it feels that ever y t  h  i   n   g       t  a  k   e    s      f   o    r     e      v      e        r     … That’s fine. “It is supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard everyone would do … Read more

Some years ago a business in our same building closed shop. They were a Title Company and they had lots of cool office supplies they let us take. Among fancy semi-transparent Post-It notes and other goodies I picked up a packet of red pens. “These will be great for red-marking contracts, resumes and things like … Read more