Writing

Your Writing

Less than 1% of your writing will be life-changing. 3% will be trivial to write. 4% will strongly resonate with others in a way you didn’t expect. 5% will be quite good. 15% probably should’ve never been published. 26% will elicit a reaction you did not expect. Positive or negative. 28% will become vastly better… more

October 19, 2024 2 Comments

One Hundred Mondays

I have a superpower, and like most superpowers, it’s not actually a superpower, but only a habit that I do 10% better than most humans. I chisel. Let’s say there’s this big project I want to complete. It’s not a big project; it’s immense. I’ve never done it before, and I’ve no actual idea how… more

January 29, 2024 5 Comments

The Software Developer’s Career Handbook

I am delighted to announce The Software Developer’s Career Handbook has been published. I call it the Bird Book because, well, there’s a bird on the cover. The Bird Book is the second edition of Being Geek. The absence of the words “being” and “geek” in the title hints that something is up. Reading the… more

October 9, 2023 2 Comments

300 Times a Day

When your favorite software tool receives a major update, it’s all dread. It’s not you expect them to ruin the application (although possible); it is because it’s your favorite tool, you know all the intricacies of how it works, and you know exactly how you need it to work. This is not a casual tool.… more

July 17, 2023 6 Comments

Prestige Writing

I am a short-form writer. A thousand words or so. Sometimes more, often less. I like to think I like tight prose and succinct thoughts, but I also know I’m impatient and have a short attention span. Over the years, familiar article structures and narrative flows have repeatedly crystallized into familiar templates. The most obvious… more

June 20, 2022 4 Comments

Managing Humans, 4th Edition

Just in time for Christmas, I’m happy to announce the 4th Edition of Managing Humans. It appears that four years is the sweet spot for new editions of this book. The process of getting this edition out the door was the least painful of the four unless you factor in, ya’know, the pandemic. Edition notes:… more

December 28, 2021 8 Comments

Small Things, Done Well

The promotional site for Managing Humans still makes me smile. The photos were from a part of the property we call the Fairy Meadow. It’s a horse chestnut tree surrounded by a stream that only runs during the rainy season. We return to the Fairy Meadow for the third book. Thanks to my good friend… more

May 27, 2020 3 Comments

How to Edit

Write a thing. Briefly celebrate that you brought this thing into the universe. Don’t celebrate by hitting publish. This done thing is only 50% done. Walk away from it. Get it completely out of your head. Your goal is to forget that you wrote this thing. Days later. Print it out and read the thing… more

February 23, 2020 1 Comment

The List of Things to Tidy

Two-week holiday. Walk into my home office with big plans that start with a thorough cleaning of the space. A clean space is a healthy and productive space. A place where proper work can happen. But first, let’s play Destiny… for two days. Day three. Ok, just clean the desk. This part of the desk.… more

January 3, 2019 5 Comments

How to Write a Blog Post

Randomly think of a thing. Let it bump around your head a bit. If the bumping gets too loud, start writing the words with the nearest writing device. See how far you get. The more words usually mean a higher degree of personal interest. Stop when it suits you. Wait for time to pass and… more

January 23, 2018 18 Comments