This episode provides tactical ways to own your time, reduce meeting load and obligations, and regain agency, especially when feeling burnt out. You'll learn how to use a simple two-part model focusing on Pliability and Volatility to evaluate your tasks and meetings and make intentional choices about how you spend your time.

• Learn how owning your time is a critical first step in combating burnout, tiredness, and feeling worn out, helping you evaluate whether you feel agency over your time.
• Understand the principle that not all time is equal, whether it's sacred personal time or different times of day at work, and why you shouldn't treat it equally.
• Discover a simple two-part model using the characteristics of Pliability and Volatility to evaluate your obligations, such as meetings and tasks.
• Learn the definition of Pliability – how easily an obligation can be moved, changed, or cancelled, representing its flexibility.
• Understand the definition of Volatility – the risk, downsides, and potential compound negative effects associated with changing or not attending an obligation.
• Evaluate your tasks and meetings using their Pliability and Volatility scores to identify obligations that can likely be moved, made smaller, or cancelled with minimal downside, particularly those with low volatility and high pliability.
• Explore why our perception of the criticality of our obligations is often inflated, and how the actual ramifications of changing them are usually much smaller than what we expect.
• Learn how applying this model can help you consolidate obligations, create longer blocks of focus time (especially useful for engineers), and ultimately regain ownership and agency over your schedule.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.

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If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you. You can also find this episode and all past episodes on developertea.com.

This episode explores the dichotomy between iterative planning and target state planning in software development, discussing the benefits and drawbacks of each approach and providing decision factors to help you choose the most appropriate method for your situation.

• Understand the core difference between iterative planning, which emphasises agility and responding to change with short planning horizons, and target state planning, which involves laying out a more defined long-term direction.
• Discover that while iterative planning is often considered the "right way" for software development, target state planning can be valuable for setting a general direction, which can be updated as you learn.
• Learn why addressing problems atomically in an iterative fashion can be valid, but that evaluating multiple potential improvements together with a target state in mind can lead to better coordination, efficiency, and consistency.
• Explore the decision factors that might lead you to favour iterative planning, such as high uncertainty, learning-focused work (discovery, prototypes), and fast feedback loops.
• Understand the decision factors that might lead you to favour target state planning, such as clarity on the problem, working in production with high coupling, regulatory/safety risks, slow feedback loops, high cost of mistakes, broad scope of impact, and high coordination costs.
• Learn why choosing a planning method by default is a warning sign, and that considering the usefulness of upfront planning without being limited by dogma is important.
• Understand that upfront planning (target state) can enable adaptation as you learn, and that negative perceptions of it often stem from costly, incorrect plans that were difficult to change.
• Discover that the choice between iterative and target state planning is a spectrum rather than a pure dichotomy, and that a target state doesn't necessarily need to be a long-term plan.

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If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.

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This episode delves into practical principles for navigating the unexpected in your life and career. Rather than attempting to predict specific events, the focus is on cultivating resilience and optionality by identifying vulnerabilities in your systems and adopting a proactive mindset to transform potential challenges into strategic advantages.

• Discover the three core principles of preparedness: first, build for change by investing in low-cost, high-upside options to prepare for many potential futures. Second, understand the weak points in your current systems (career, personal life, finances, etc.) to create mitigation strategies. Third, think like an engineer by identifying bottlenecks and single points of failure and pressure testing your life's resources.

• Learn how to invest in optionality by pursuing low-cost, high-upside opportunities such as maintaining your professional network and reading books. These investments provide flexibility, improve negotiation power, and enhance your psychological position when making decisions.

• Understand the significance of identifying and analysing the weak aspects of your personal and professional systems to either mitigate risks directly, for example, by developing multiple income streams, or to create plans to absorb risks if they materialise, such as building a financial runway.

• Explore the concept of thinking like an engineer by actively seeking out bottlenecks and single points of failure in your life. Employ pressure testing across various resources, including relational, monetary, and physical well-being, to bolster your resilience against potential interruptions.

• Recognise that mitigating risks is crucial for safely seizing opportunities and fostering growth in both your career and personal life. A strong foundation built on resilience allows for bolder and more strategic decision-making when beneficial options arise.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com..

If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!.

If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

This episode introduces a simple yet highly effective communication habit that can be adopted by anyone to significantly reduce the risk of misunderstandings and enhance connection. It explores how this practice, which requires thoughtful communication but no special skills, can benefit individuals at all career levels.

• Discover why misunderstandings pose a significant risk to your career and how our natural inclination towards low-effort communication contributes to this risk.
• Learn the core of this high-leverage habit: restating what someone is telling you in your own words to ensure clarity and mutual understanding. This involves summarising or rephrasing the other person's message using your own terminology.
• Understand the multiple benefits of this technique, including demonstrating that you are actively listening, encoding the information more effectively for yourself, and most crucially, giving the other person the opportunity to correct your understanding.
• Explore how this habit provides a critical opportunity to refine your understanding and check it against the speaker's intended message, ultimately leading to better comprehension.
• Learn how receiving confirmation ("That's right") builds credibility and fosters a sense of being understood, creating a genuine connection with others.
• Grasp the idea that this "mirroring back" of meaning, rather than just the words, is a cheap, deep, and high-leverage behaviour that can significantly improve your communication effectiveness in professional settings.

• If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.

If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!

If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

This episode introduces a valuable meta-tool for understanding the generic shapes of models, focusing specifically on the concept of logarithmic relationships and how they manifest as diminishing returns in various aspects of our lives and work. Understanding these patterns can help us make more informed decisions about where to invest our time and resources.

• Uncover a meta-tool for understanding generic model shapes, specifically focusing on the concept of logarithmic relationships, which operates at a layer above specific mental models.
• Learn about logarithmic complexity as a concept often encountered in algorithmic analysis and graphing math, characterised by a curve where the slope continuously decreases.
• Discover how diminishing returns serve as a colloquial way to understand logarithmic relationships, where each unit of input effort yields progressively smaller returns in value or output.
• Explore examples of where diminishing returns are evident, such as increasing the reliability of a system through quality improvements, estimation efforts, and the value gained from time spent in meetings.
• Understand how learning processes often follow a logarithmic curve, with rapid initial gains that gradually diminish with experience.
• Grasp the connection between logarithmic returns and the Pareto principle (80/20 rule), where a small percentage of effort often produces a large percentage of the value.
• Recognise the importance of identifying the threshold on a logarithmic curve where the returns on further investment become minimal, aiding in more effective resource allocation.
• Consider how our natural perception might not align with logarithmic realities, potentially leading us to overvalue continued effort beyond the point of significant return.
• Learn how understanding these fundamental input-output relationships can empower you to make better decisions about where to focus your time, effort, and resources.

This episode introduces the concept of dimensional reframing as a tool to gain new perspectives on problems and facilitate decision-making by considering a new dimension.

• Learn how adding a new dimension to a problem can overcome limited perception and lead to new insights.
• Discover how applying the dimension of time to bug management can help prioritise and address a manageable number of bugs within a specific period.
• Explore how considering your energy levels can inform your approach to personal tasks, matching tasks to your available energy.
• Understand how frameworks like Getting Things Done (GTD) use the dimension of context to make tasks more actionable.
• Learn how the KonMari method employs the dimension of joy to fundamentally change how you decide what items to keep.
• Understand that the key to effective dimensional reframing is choosing a dimension that you care about and that helps you make decisions.
• Discover that dimensional reframing can be applied to both individual items and lists of items.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.

If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!

If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

This episode explores the concept of Chesterton's fence, a principle that advises against removing or altering something without first understanding its original purpose.

• Understand the core message of Chesterton's fence: before getting rid of an existing system, process, or code, take the time to understand why it was put there in the first place.
• Learn about the common thought process that leads to wanting to remove things without understanding them ("Why on earth would anyone ever do it this way?").
• Discover the parable of Chesterton's fence: the more intelligent reformer questions the removal of a fence until its use is understood.
• See an analogy in code review where a senior engineer might question the removal of code or tests without understanding their purpose.
• Understand the cognitive bias of illusory superiority and the Dunning-Kruger effect, which can lead to overestimating one's own abilities and underestimating the reasoning behind existing systems.
• Recognise the mistake of assuming that predecessors were incompetent and that their work was done in error.
• Appreciate the importance of adopting a curious mindset and trying to understand the original reasons behind existing practices.
• Understand that Chesterton's fence is not a justification for never changing anything, but a caution against recklessness and the importance of being informed.
• Learn that even when deciding to remove something, understanding its purpose can lead to better decisions and improvements in the future (e.g., replacing an old test with a better one).
• Realise the value of learning from the experiences and reasoning of those who came before.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.

If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!

If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

This episode discusses how to reframe areas of growth identified in performance reviews with your manager, turning potential weaknesses into strategic strengths. It emphasizes focusing on excelling in your existing strengths rather than spreading efforts thinly across all areas of improvement.

• Understand why it's misguided to immediately convert a list of growth areas into a to-do list and the importance of collaborating with your manager on this.
• Learn to identify the growth areas you are interested in and determine what has kept you from excelling in them, such as time, opportunity, or self-confidence.
• Discover why focusing on becoming extraordinarily good in your already strong areas can lead to unique opportunities for you and your company.
• Explore how to strategically discuss your growth areas with your manager, focusing on a limited set of areas for improvement and suggesting compromises or delegation for others.
• Challenge the conventional wisdom of balancing skills and instead consider how to become a top performer (top 2%) in your areas of strength.
• Realise that a team composed of individuals excelling at different things, will probably be more effective than a team of well-rounded individuals.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.

If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!

If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review!

This episode provides a tactical question to elicit useful feedback by taking responsibility for seeking it out and framing the request in a way that encourages advice rather than judgment.

• Understand that your manager giving you feedback is your responsibility, which means you should actively seek it out rather than waiting.
• Discover how a simple question can shift the dynamic with your manager to get better feedback, focusing on advice for the future rather than dwelling on past behaviours.
• Learn the tactical question to ask your manager: "What do you think will hold me back from growing?" or a modified version like, "What do you think will hold me back from getting X promotion?".
• Explore why framing your feedback request as seeking advice is more effective because managers generally enjoy giving advice and it focuses on future improvement.
• Understand that the intent is not to analyze past behavior but to identify potential roadblocks to future success and growth.

If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!.

This episode introduces a simple quadrant tool to visualise different working modes that a team or individual task might be in, based on levels of autonomy and definition.

• Understand how the quadrant is built using the X-axis of dependency (high to low) and the Y-axis of definition (high to low) to visualise different work modes.
• Explore how the bottom left quadrant represents work that is highly exploratory and highly dependent, often requiring collaboration across multiple departments.
• Learn how a "spike" usually fits into the bottom right quadrant, signifying autonomous exploration.
• Discover how the top left quadrant is for work that is highly dependent but highly defined, such as a migration project or adopting a new tool.
• Understand how the top right quadrant represents work that is the most defined and the most autonomous, typically a singular task assigned to an individual.
• Recognise that many development frameworks focus on optimising work to fit in the top right quadrant to improve flow by reducing dependencies.
• Consider that the top left quadrant is often the lowest value production due to high dependencies without creative thinking.
• Realise that exploratory work, if unguided, can be a liability, and it may be useful to involve more people in the exploration or ensure the individual has significant experience.
• Be aware that processes are often optimised for tasks in the top right quadrant, potentially leading to the avoidance of work in other quadrants.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.

If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!

If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.