Start Every Day as a Producer, Not a Consumer

I have to agree that my most productive days are those where I don't allow myself to read the news, check e-mail, facebook, etc., right after I get up. However, that happens because I've got a ton of stuff to get done, and the outside world takes a back seat until my workload is under control. However, there are certain biological necessities that have to happen before I can be productive. The dog gets let out, I go to the bathroom, I eat/drink something, and *then* I sit down to be productive. I also *have* to check my e-mail, because if something blew up overnight or there's something that needs to be dealt with ASAP, I need to know as early as possible. I've found that reading my e-mail on my phone curbs the impulse to respond to everything immediately, because composing a lengthy e-mail on a tiny touchscreen sucks. Flagged

practicing-programming - steveyegge2 Back in October I wrote an essay in which I compared programming to other professions. In it, I made the unsubstantiated claim that programming is unusual, in that most programmers don't practice their craft -- at least, not in any disciplined or regular way. Those are, of course, fightin' words, so I figured I'd write a bit more about it. This essay is a sort of mini-manual about practicing to be a better programmer. What exactly does it mean to practice becoming a better programmer? Well, of course the boring dictionary definition is: "To do or perform something repeatedly in order to acquire or polish a skill." If you're still awake after that mind-numbing paragraph, then I think you're ready to give it a try! Incidentally, I toyed with the idea of coining a new word for "study and practice", like I did with servware. Contrary to what you might believe, merely doing your job every day doesn't qualify as real practice. Smarts vs. We hire for smarts and for skills. OK, got it.

Making Yourself a CEO She got a big booty so I call her Big Booty.—2 Chainz, Birthday Song The other day, a friend of mine asked me whether CEOs were born or made. I said, “That’s kind of like asking if Jolly Ranchers are grown or made. CEO is a very unnatural job.” After saying it and seeing the surprised look on his face, I realized that perhaps it wasn’t as obvious as I’d originally thought. After thinking further, I realized that most people actually assume the opposite—CEOs are born not made. In athletics, some things like becoming a sprinter can be learned relatively quickly because they take a natural motion and refine it. Being CEO requires lots of unnatural motion. In fact, even the most basic CEO building blocks will feel unnatural at first. Giving feedback turns out to be the unnatural atomic building block atop which the unnatural skill set of management gets built. The Shit Sandwich The shit sandwich can work well with junior employees, but has the following challenges: The Keys Be authentic.