Iterate as fast as possible

Have an aptitude for serendipity

Get more parts on the table

Stay motivated with recurring small dopamine hits

Incremental correctness

Keep it simple, stupid

Measure output, not outcomes

Non-technical regrets at Spectrum

Solve your own problems

Design a process

 Make it easy to jump in

# Always be shipping

The more things I ship, the more chances serendipity has to strike one of them. ([[Have an aptitude for serendipity]])

If you never release that song you composed, how is a music label meant to discover you? If you never release that novel you wrote, how is a publisher meant to stumble upon you?

This doesn’t just apply to big projects, since I try to [[Iterate as fast as possible]] any small change counts, which also makes me [[Stay motivated with recurring small dopamine hits]].

> _”I like shipping things, and shipping consistently has helped put me at the forefront of a number of big shifts in technology over the past few decades." - Seth Godin_




# Design a process
The way I can achieve the outcomes I dream of is by having a process that guides me in the right direction. If I [[Measure output, not outcomes]] as following my process I have already done the hardest part.

This does not mean I will let it be up to chance whether or not I reach my dreams. I have to [[Always be shipping]] redesigns of my process that guide me towards the right outcomes.

People have put this many different ways:

- The journey is the goal
- Act like the person you want to be in the future, today
- Habits define a person

It’s all the same core idea. Have a good process, and work it. Every day.

The way Steven Pressfield phrased it in “The war of art” is that the differentiating factor between a professional and an amateur is that professionals sit down every day and work their process, no matter what.




Always be shipping

Invest in force multipliers

Build a diverse network

Be as cross-functional as necessary

# Iterate as fast as possible

The more iterations cycles I can go through the faster I will arrive at a great result. ([[Incremental correctness]]) It also helps with [[Always be shipping]], if you have lots of iterations you have lots to ship. Iteration cycle speed is a force multiplier, and keeping it as fast as possible is crucial. ([[Invest in force multipliers]]) 

Some ways I improve my iteration speed are [[Invest in force multipliers]], [[Keep it simple, stupid]] and [[Be as cross-functional as necessary]].

For example at the micro level, I make sure my build setups are fast enough that I never have to wait to see changes in development. For example at the macro level, I try to give my users a quick and easy way to submit feedback and for me to see it.

Hunch: Anecdotally, I think the 80/20 rule applies to iteration speed bottlenecks. There seems to be bottlenecks which will speed up iteration cycles 80% without a lot of work, the hard part is figuring out where they are.

> _“Speed of developer iteration is the single most important factor in how quickly a technology company can move." — Paul Biggar, founder of Darklang and CircleCI_




# Measure output, not outcomes
I have always measured myself based on out_comes_ (e.g. being featured in Forbes), not my out_put_. As [@chantastic points out](https://chan.dev/blog/outputs-and-outcomes/), I am probably hurting myself by doing that: I have zero influence over eventual outcomes, but I can control my output.

I should celebrate myself whenever I am as productive and creative as I want to be, not when some random outcome occurs. That would help me [[Stay motivated with recurring small dopamine hits]] as long as I [[Iterate as fast as possible]] and [[Always be shipping]].

For example, at the moment I want to improve my endurance, so I added a 5km run to [[My morning routine]]. I do not measure myself based on outcomes (e.g. I can run 5km in 30 mins), I measure myself based on whether I run every single day. Whatever endurance improvements come from that are incidental.

Of course, I do eventually want to get somewhere, so I have direct my outputs to where they _could_ help me achieve the outcomes I want. I don’t know how I can ensure that is the case, however so far it’s worked out fine.




Thinking practice

Have a great morning routine

Write to think

Evergreen notes

2020-03-24

# My morning routine

For me to [[Have a great morning routine]] is a force multiplier. ([[Invest in force multipliers]]) It sets every single one of my days off on a good foot, which makes it more likely for everything to work out.

As of Mar. 2020, I am trying a new morning routine heavily inspired by [Andy Matuschak’s](https://notes.andymatuschak.org/My_daily_routine), slightly adapted for my specific goals:

* Get up early (7am)
* Eat small breakfast (usually a banana) and drink lots of water
* Go for a run
* Shower
* Meditate
* Coffee + breakfast
* [[Thinking practice]]




How I overcome the Resistance

# Stay motivated with recurring small dopamine hits

The best way I have found to stay motivated once I have started working is to get constantly give myself small dopamine hits. I try to [[Always be shipping]] tiny changes, to [[Iterate as fast as possible]] and to [[Measure output, not outcomes]] to make that happen.

The idea is from the great book “The Motivation Myth”, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Here are some quotes from the book itself about this:

> _“Motivation isn’t something you have. Motivation is something you get, from yourself, automatically, from feeling good about achieving small successes.”_
> _“If you want to stay motivated, if you want to stay on track, if you want to keep making progress toward the things you hope to achieve, the key is to enjoy small, seemingly minor successes—but on a regular basis.”_




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Measure output, not outcomes

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