Mindset
149 articles · all categories
May 2025
Stateless decision making
Do you ever feel like your brain is full and there's so much going on you can barely keep up? Me too.
Your interview is a sales call
I've been doing hiring manager screens lately. Here's a few tips.
How do you find time for cleanup work
A reader asks how do you find time for technical cleanup work. If OKRs and bugs take priority, when will you make improvements?
April 2025
What to work on next?
Younger engineers keep asking how I prioritize in a chaotic environment. Here's my approach.
The difference between a product and a project
A project is something you do, a product is something you own.
March 2025
Sprint vs Shape Up vs Kanban
Whenever I talk about sprints, someone mentions Shape Up. So you have 9 week sprints – what's the difference?
Why sprints
For the past few months I've been introducing sprints into a chaotic startup that's been growing so fast everyone's got whiplash. Since August, 5 engineers turned into 12. I think it's starting to work.
Why sprints
For the past few months I've been introducing sprints into a chaotic startup that's been growing so fast everyone's got whiplash. Since August, 5 engineers turned into 12. I think it's starting to work.
Talk to more users sooner
Debate less, ship more.
February 2025
Depth takes time
It takes about 3 years to experience the consequences of your own decisions.
Code yourself out of the job
Let go of your legos and let others do the work.
How *do* you break down a large project? INVEST
Going from Big Vision to Series of Executable Steps is a key skill for senior+ engineers. PMs can help but they don't know everything.
January 2025
The score takes care of itself
Less talking more doing
December 2024
Your next mountain, pt2
3+1 quick book recommendations to help you think about next year
What's your next mountain?
Life is a hill-climbing algorithm
Why system design is my favorite interview
Without reading their resume, you'll see if a candidate is fresh or has been doing this a while. And you'll know their blind spots and their strengths
October 2024
Don't judge tech just because you're old
Your favorite way of doing things may just be an expression of tech limitations at the time
"Yes caviar is great, here's a ham sandwich"
Why do some projects ship and others seem to drag on forever? You need 3 people to get this right.
Yes, AI will "take" your job. No, you won't mind
Is the job to get things done or to memorize trivia and solve cute coding puzzles?
Make mistakes easy to fix
You can't prevent bugs. You'll burn out. Instead focus on making them quick to fix.
September 2024
Better is good
A small improvement that lands is better than a large improvement stuck in review
The Tour of Duty approach to career
Quick note today to plant the seed of an idea I've always loved: The Tour of Duty.
Why software projects fail
5 common themes
August 2024
Interviewing tips for experienced engineers
The way you interview changes as you go through your career. If you're grinding leetcode 10 years in, something's wrong.
Let small fires burn
You can't fix everything. Focus on the next big thing and let the small fires burn.
Some personal news
When you see a unicorn, you gotta hop on
Small change in big scary codebase?
Making small changes in large unfamiliar codebases is the job. That's what engineers do all day.
June 2024
6 books engineers should read
Here are 6 books I'd buy every engineer who joins my team, if I ran a team. You might like 'em too.
May 2024
Get us over the water, not build us a bridge
effective engineering teams should work *with* their product owner/manager, not *for* them
April 2024
Outputs are not outcomes
Doing the work is not the same as getting things done