Category Archives for "life"

Have you ever felt like several days passed and nothing happened?

You were very busy, and worked a lot…
Maybe even staying late or working weekends…
You run around solving urgent problems…

But… You still feel like you are stuck…
That nothing really happened…

Our lives are fragile.

Even small risks we take everyday like driving, getting the bus, or even hugging a friend, can prove to be fatal risks.

Helping others involves understanding what the other person wants or needs.

It is not easy.

Most of the time, we don’t even know what we want, much less what we need.

But…

You can start by listening.

Patience.

We may think that patience is something we have or don’t…

But patience is a skill. It can be developed and improved.

Sometimes we have a plan…
It is a great plan!
We know what to do and how to finish it…

But then…
For some reason…
(Sometimes something you did…)
(Other times it is out of your control…)

And…
Your well intended plan fails…
Everything comes crashing down,
And you can’t get it to work…

Is optimism a skill?
Is it a mindset?
Worldview?
A habit?

Optimism is actively looking around for positive reaches.
It is to look for ways to take positive actions.
Even in the middle of difficulties…

And look, I’m not saying this is easy.
Sometimes it is very, very difficult…

Far too many developers are worried about productivity.

Are you ?
Do you think you are not productive enough?
Or…
At least this is something that is high in your mind?

Something I discussed a lot this week:
What it means to be a senior.

You see, some people think that seniority is about your technical skills.
Or about a specific technology.

Someone even told me the other day:
you can be a senior in one thing, and a junior in other.

I don’t buy that.

And… Do you think Open Source can help with that?
(That was a question Edson Yanaga asked me this week)

The particular skill Edson was aiming at with his question is the one I think is the most underated of the developer skills…

And probably the most important one…

Simplify is a great skill.

It is not about making your goals easier, or reducing your results.

To simplify is to go to the heart of the problem, laser focus on the goals, so you can prioritize the right things.