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Today I created my first NFT. I'm not really sure how useful it is, but what the heck. The general idea is that it's in my best interest to become knowledgeable about blockchain and related tech because there are starting to be some interesting use cases and I'm better off...

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That’s All Folks

Today is the last day of my Ship 30 for 30 cohort. When I started on October 9th, I said that success would simply be posting 30 items I'm proud of, so it was certainly a success. It started pretty easy, and I had a lot of notes that I could draw from. Notes from books I've...

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Don’t Ask for Permission

Early in my career, I worked for an SEO company. I was pretty low on the totem pole but had a lot of chutzpah. I would get assigned a technical project specification written by a senior developer (in New Zealand) based on a report created by an SEO consultant in our Wisconsin...

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My Weekly Checklist

Previously, I discussed reducing friction by using the simplest system that will get the job done (see Small Pieces, Loosely Joined). I briefly described (at the end) that I used a weekly checklist to get through my week. Folks on Twitter were interested in learning more...

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Fostering Confidence

Today I interviewed for a leadership position at work. During the interview, the interviewer asked what my philosophy was for leading and mentoring people. I create an environment where it's safe to fail, I assign projects that are a stretch for them to accomplish, and I do...

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My 3 Favorite Productivity Books

Here are three of my favorite books about productivity and goal setting. Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy The book's tagline is "21 great ways to stop procrastination and get more done in less time". For example, if it's your job to eat a frog every day, you'd best do it...

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How To Get Things Done

Once you have your goals in mind and know what you want to do, the next trick is to get yourself to do it. I have two complementary strategies for getting things done. Time Blocking The first is to schedule time blocks on your calendar for when you want to do certain things. If...

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Finding Clarity in “Why?”

The number one thing that sabotages me regularly is a lack of clarity. Clarity is a sneaky thing, and it plays a part in so many aspects of your life. Clarity is a lack of confusion, and it leads to confidence. So many days, I struggle because I'm not clear about what I should...

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Small Pieces, Loosely Joined

If you're a software developer, you probably at one point or another have heard of the Unix philosophy of "small pieces, loosely joined." The idea is that instead of creating giant monolithic applications that try to do everything, you build small apps that do one...

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Goal Brainstorming

Goal Funnels (see You Need a Goal Funnel) can be overwhelming. So here is another strategy to use to help flesh out your Goal Funnel. 1. Brain Dump. Spend 15-20 minutes just writing down every possible thing you'd like to accomplish in the next ten years. For example, what are...

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