Perfectly Awesome

Do "outline speedrunning": Recursively outline an MVP, speedrun filling it in, and only then go back and perfect. This is a ~10x speed up over the 'loading-bar' style (more on that below) Don't just read this article and move on. Go out and do this for the very next thing you make so y

You’re working on the most complex problem in computer science: fixing permissions on a deployment pipeline. It’s been 4 days you started on that simple task...

In the fast-paced rhythm of today's world, managing time effectively is not just an advantage; it's a...

Tips for developers on getting into flow states

Thinking about your actions as vectors instead of scalars is a helpful mental model to manage your goals. Considering your vectors of action can help you objectively assess your progress, your impact, and your well-being.

Slides and notes for the Being Glue talk.

Perfectionism is on the rise, and its consequences for mental health can be devastating. The Japanese philosophy of "wabi sabi" can help.

Productivity inspiration and tactical advice that’s actually useful.

Note Scott Hanselman (me): I had been meaning to write up my productivity tips ...

The best productivity methods keep your to-dos in front of you and prioritized so you never wonder what to work on next. Some are complicated, but oth

Pause and think on purpose

The most surprising thing is that you wouldn’t let anyone steal your property, but you consistently let people steal your time, which is infinitely more valuable.

Life-Hacking. Climbing. Striving for awesome. Coffee.

An introduction to kanban methodology for agile software development and its benefits for your agile team.

A few months ago, I wrote about things that look like work, but aren't. As I paid more attention to founders doing these things, I started thinking about why they were happening. I realized that...

If you're having trouble with your productivity, consider finding the root using the 5 Whys technique.

Timeboxing is the nearest thing we have to productivity magic, yet most people don’t utilize it. It amounts to boxing out periods of time to work on distinct tasks each day. But when I recommend perhaps the most effective technique ever devised to help people stay on track, most of them balk.

Bring all your engineering data in one place and build dashboards in minutes

This is the midweek edition of Culture Study — the newsletter from Anne Helen Petersen, which you can read about here. If you like it and want more like it in your inbox, consider subscribing.

I've worked at various tech companies: from "traditional" shops and consultancies, through an investment bank, to high-growth tech firms. I've also talked with software engineers working at startups, banking, automotive, big tech, and more "traditional" companies. This mix had a healthy sample of Silicon-Valley companies and ones headquartered outside this

A few timeless productivity lessons that apply no matter what you’re doing.

Stephen Wolfram, creator of Mathematica and WolframAlpha, on his carefully-crafted techniques for being effective at work.

Productivity inspiration and tactical advice that’s actually useful.

Do you ever get that feeling like no matter how hard you work, you just can't keep up? This isn't a problem uniquely faced by modern knowledge workers. It's also a characteristic of certain software systems. This state — of being perpetually behind on intended work-in-progress — can fall naturally…

The author wasn’t all about literary masterpieces, dry martinis and rakish charm – he also invented a technique that can beat procrastination and boost productivity.

To make sure productivity doesn’t slow after you walk out of the room, do two things after and in between meetings.

Dev diaries is a development community providing daily tips and tricks about web development. Learn about how to become a better dev, and get a refreshed perspective on what it means to be a web developer. We share daily web development tips on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, & Pinterest. Being a good web developer comes down to a lot of things, but one of the major skills is being able to Google and find the right answer on Stackoverflow...

Inefficient does not mean ineffective, and it is certainly not the same as lazy. You get things done – just not in the most effective way possible. You’re a bit sloppy, and use more energy. But don’t feel bad about it. There is real value in not being the best.

“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” — Oscar Wilde

In a recent survey of 100 productivity hacks, timeboxing — migrating to-do lists into calendars — was ranked the most useful. Timeboxing can give you a much greater sense of control over your workday. You decide what to do and when to do it, block out all distractions for that timeboxed period, and get it done. The benefits of calendarized timeboxing are many, varied, and highly impactful. The practice improves how we feel (control), how much we achieve as individuals (personal productivity), and how much we achieve in the teams we work in (enhanced collaboration). This may be the single most important skill or practice you can possibly develop as a modern professional, as it buys you so much time to accomplish anything else. It’s also straightforwardly applied and at no cost. Box some time to implement a version of this that works for you.

This is Part 2 of a three part series on high performing teams. Part one is of Design the Team You Need to Succeed Now you’ve decided you want more than a workgroup, what should you do? What does i…

I remember the first time I had to write one of these puppies. I had just been promoted to manager at Yahoo back in 2000, and was running a small team. I was told to “write a status email covering …

South Island, New Zealand, a.k.a. Middle-Earth If you were to make a list of what you want to get done this week, it would mostly consist of things you have to do. Get groceries. Book a hair appointment. Get back to so-and-so. Read that health and safety thing for work. If you were to make a list of things you