Links and Notes - April 12th 2021

A week off

It's been a while since I took a slightly longer holiday. With 4 day work weeks in play at Buffer, it's easy to forget the need to take some extended time off. I'm quite guilty of this. I'll work for months on end before I realise that I'm hitting burn out.

So I took advantage of the avurudu holiday that's coming up this week, and I took the whole week off. I'm still not entirely sure what I want to do with the time, but with fasting coming up, there's a lot to prepare for.

Also, I'd like to reflect and plan for some non buffer related projects. There are essays, and stories that I want to write. There are games that I want to make. There are apps that I want to write. And this kind of break period is a great chance to plan all of them.

Pitching begins

Related to the above, and to my thoughts I've had in the recent past on base camp and non product related work, I'm about to embark on creating a whole bunch of pitches for work I want to do. The appetite that I have for my work is 4 weeks. I don't like the idea of spending longer than that, or less than that on my ideas. There are probably some things that can be built in less time than that but I'm not interested in the pressure that the time line brings.

Again. Appetites. Not estimates.

But that's not all I'm planning for. I'm trying to create a small group that's interested in the idea of creating shape up style pitches for themselves. Where each of the pitches will then have boundaries and rabbit holes. Who will bring on all their pitches and then decide which one they actually want to work on.

I think it would be nice to have a peer group to work with. The only problem is that I don't know if anyone else will be interested in this idea. If that's the case, I'll have to go the first few cycles alone and see if I can recruit anyone from there.

Also, I'm going to be keeping 2 week projects as well for tiny research ideas or maybe favours for friends.

Also also, I'm trying not to let myself get swayed by the idea of doing multiple projects in parallel but the idea is so tempting. I desperately want to be able to do a development related side project in parallel with a writing related one. But if I'm being perfectly realistic I think I'll be setting myself up for failure. So as much as I hate the idea of it, I think I'll force myself to start with just one project before trying to do parallel ones.

Once the pitches are ready, I might consider publishing them openly. I'm certainly thinking of doing that for the projects I go ahead with. But I'm not sure about opening the "graveyard" of pitches. At the end of the day, many of those pitches are projects I'd go ahead with at some point in the future.

One might wonder why I'd bother actually doing these pitches when there's just me. I find that the clarity this process brings is both exciting as well as a mentally stimulating exercise. It serves as good practice to avoid falling into detailed solution planning at the start of a project and it definitely trains a mental muscle I feel doesn't get used enough: That of clarifying my thoughts into a concise problem/solution statement.

Ramadan comes close

It's that time of the year again. The month of fasting is here and will be starting anywhere in the next three days. To be honest, I'm not looking forward to it. Just not in the mindset for it.

This is a semi heretical thought. For Muslims, this is a holy month. One of spiritual rewards and reflection. It is a month that we are supposed to welcome with excitement. A month where we embrace the idea of spiritual cleansing.

And heretical though the thought is, I just can't get myself into a mood for it. I just wish I could hit a magical skip button and jump to the week after the month ends. I know I'm not alone. Several of the people I've spoken to about this month have expressed a similar feeling. It's just been such a chaotic year with covid. None of us really know whether we are standing or sitting. Schools are on one week. Then they are off. Then they are on again. First we weren't vaccinated and then after a giant rush, we were.

And just when it feels like we can think of settling into a routine, maybe even visit some known close friends and have the kids have some time together, it's just another thing to think of. It all feels too much.

This blog doesn't have a comment box. But I'd love to hear any thoughts y'all might have. Send them to [email protected]

Previous links and notes (April 11th)

Next links and notes (April 13)

Posted on April 13 2021 by Adnan Issadeen