Week of January 30 - February 6, 2025
(some of you might already have received this mail, there was an issue with text not having color on mobile. This should be fixed now, apologies!)
Hey there! 👋 I'm trying something new. I write down my thoughts/learnings/experiences each day and try to compress a week of these into one newsletter. This is the first attempt, hope you enjoy!
Embracing Imperfection in Creative Work
Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. Whether it's putting your face on YouTube thumbnails or shipping that first version of a product, the path to great results often starts with something that's not quite perfect. I've been learning this firsthand with my course creation – while the early videos weren't my proudest work, they were necessary steps toward better quality content.
The AI-Assisted Developer
An interesting observation about modern development: AI is changing how we think about code patterns. While working on my starter template grafto, I've found that AI excels at handling boilerplate code. This aligns with what David Crawshaw from Tailscale suggested – we might be moving toward more specialized, less DRY code, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes readable, specific code is better than clever abstractions.
Rethinking Development Practices
- Daily Stand-ups: They're increasingly being recognized as potential time-wasters. While they
- might work for FAANG companies, blindly copying practices without context doesn't serve most teams well.
- Project Completion: Long-running projects without visible progress are morale killers. There's
- wisdom in limiting work to defined periods with clear, tangible outputs.
- Cross-functional Knowledge: In the age of LLMs, developers should be able to understand code
- across different languages at a basic level. The strict frontend/backend divide might be becoming less relevant.
Content Creation Insights
A key lesson this week: content is a long-term game. My old articles are now getting picked up by AI platforms like Perplexity and ChatGPT, and website traffic is growing. Get your content out there early – it matters more than ever in the age of AI training data.
Quick Tips for Better Development
Minimize dependencies where possible (like using native Go solutions instead of Docker for testing) Focus on outcomes in cross-team communication Finish current work before starting new things Be comfortable with "good enough" for fast iteration
Final Thoughts
There's a growing recognition that not all "best practices" are universal. Whether it's development methodologies or content creation, what works for tech giants might not work for everyone else. The key is finding what works for your specific context and team.
Want to discuss any of these points? Feel free to reach out!