If you want to know what you need to know, as I mentioned before it’s a good idea to take some time to get a high-level overview of a particular domain. As you’re discovering some of the high-level items that you want to later explore, you should take some time to use generative thinking to find a past situation where…
Knowing what you need to know
Learning as you go is a highly effective technique but you can run into substantial problems. If you never have time to take the time to learn, then if you leverage learning as you go it’s likely that you’ll take shortcuts. This can result in a rather duct tape laden approach, where you’re hacking something together to get the job…
Learning as you go
There are quite a few things in life that make sense to learn as you go, as opposed to learning everything upfront. For example, if you’re learning a new word processing tool like Microsoft Word you could take a class that covers the features of Microsoft Word but It’s very likely that you’re just going to forget about all those…
Technology will never solve weight loss
Smart Plate is yet another company building technological solutions to a problem that technology can’t solve. The menu at McDonald’s has the calorie count and yet we still have a country full of obese people. It’s not knowledge of food composition that’s the problem. Eating well is about motivation, not a lack of technology and not a lack of knowledge.…
If you follow the “rules”
You will never be successful.
DevOps is Dead
Checkout my interview with .NET Rocks!
Two minds are not better than one
Two minds are not better than one. Checkout my article Pair Programming is no Panacea
Businesses don’t fail
Years ago I often wondered, during downturns with the organization I was working with at the time, if I would show up the next day to find a shuttered office. When things were good this was never on my mind. But during difficult times, I was surprised with the resiliency. In retrospect, I’ve come to realize that external factors don’t…
Avoid the excuses, just say no
When you feel yourself mired in crafting the prefect excuse, stop. This is a distraction. People will likely see through your excuse anyways. Avoid dishonesty, but not because it’s the “right” thing to do. Morality is irrelevant. When you are dishonest, you might not get caught, but you are automatically caught by yourself. Dishonesty chisels away at your image of…
Of course luck is a factor
Success is often a function of luck. But don’t forget it also requires playing the game. You can be like this guy and whine about how it’s not fair that people are successful. Or, you can take a look around you, find the odds that are in your favor, and roll the dice until you win.