I start new things all the time. I mostly finish them. Some, I decide to put aside until I am ready or not as busy, so I can manage the risks. I often find that the things I put aside are the audacious ideas. The ideas that are highly risky, or will take some learning, […]
What’s Your Audacious Idea? Read More »
In the agile community, we have a saying, “Fail fast.” It means we are supposed to feel safe to fail, and that we want to fail fast so we can use that learning to iterate on the requirements. We have opportunities to improve. I like the idea that it’s safe to fail. No one berates
Are You Failing Fast or Learning Early? Read More »
I have a love-hate relationship with my physical therapy. I love the exercises. I like my therapist. I can see my progress. I hate the building. Hate, hate, hate it. There are three levels of parking. Only one level has a ramp. On that level, there are about eight handicapped spaces. That number of handicapped
Are You Whining or Problem-Solving? Read More »
I saw this Ted Talk, Sebastian Wernicke’s How to use data to make a hit TV show. The intro is funny when he discusses data analysis to make decisions. At about 8:57 into the talk, he starts talking about problem-solving. He says problem-solving with data has two parts. The first part is the take-apart phase,
How Do You Use Data? Read More »
When you are attempting to create your adaptable life, it’s easy to be afraid of failure. After all, everything is changing. Why shouldn’t you be afraid of failing? You can certainly be afraid. Go ahead. If your life is anything like mine, your life is filled with scary moments. On the other hand, what’s the
What’s the Worst Thing That Can Happen? Read More »
We often say we have two seasons, here in Massachusetts: Road repair and winter. I’ll add another season to that: falling leaves and acorns. We have a bumper crop of leaves and acorns in my neighborhood. The leaves are not the problem. You can see those little acorns in the picture I took, to the
What’s Hidden from Your View? Read More »
I was writing a series of draft blog posts about resource efficiency (optimizing for people) and flow efficiency (optimizing for projects). I wrote them fast, flowing the ideas from my brain to my fingers. I edit later. For me, this is the best kind of writing I do. It’s not about writing fast. It’s about
What Do You Practice? Read More »
I went to the bank to get something out of our safe deposit box. The bank is “friendly,” meaning there are no queues so you can stand in line for the right person. (#Fail #1) I first stood in line for a teller because both of the manager-type people were busy. The teller told me
I’m not happy with my endurance. I decided to work on my leg strength. I decided to take walks in the evening after supper. The first two nights, it rained. Not good for building a habit. I finally started the third night. I was tired that night—I had worked out hard that morning. I walked
Who Do You Compete With? Read More »
I went to the grocery store earlier this week. There were no available handicapped spaces. (I know, what a surprise!) I parked in a regular space. I had just enough room to take the rollator out of my car. When I returned to my car, there was a different car next to me. The car was
What Don’t You Say? Read More »