I periodically reread the classic texts that shaped my education and my work. The reasons vary; I’m curious about how they’ve held up over time and what I find now with over twenty years’ experience. One of those texts is The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering by Frederick P Brooks, Jr. It was a […]
Notebook
Remember to ask Why
It’s important to remember to ask the open-ended question “Why” when evaluating technology. Your answers will help determine the reasons for exploring specific solutions. A client recently asked about installing an add-on for their e-commerce site. They identified two solutions and asked for my expertise before they made a final decision. As I filled out […]
3 Tips to Organize Your Notebook
The blank page of a notebook can be daunting. Consistently organized information can be found more easily, that’s the point of SEO and useful for a handwritten page too. However, I feel that the prevalence of curated notebook pages on social media can cause us to focus more on a perfect ideal instead of a […]
Working with Weekly Chaos
It’s a rare week that the plan I created on Monday morning isn’t completely rewritten by lunchtime. It’s tempting to try to follow my cat and curl up in the dark recesses of a tote bag because it can feel overwhelming. Here are three tips I use to keep moving forward with my original plan […]
Summary of Recent Updates to WordPress
Over the past year there have been many changes to life … and WordPress. I know the details of each update haven’t been a priority. It can be overwhelming to go back and find out what changed, and next week version will see 5.7 released. To help, I’ve worked through the past year of releases […]
Two Reasons to Create a Plan B
Yesterday afternoon I waited (with everyone) for Perseverance to touch down on the surface of Mars. I have a long fascination with NASA missions, I had a literal front row seat to the small TV monitor in my first-grade classroom that fateful morning of 28 January 1986. I am very thankful this was a successful […]
Plan by Jumping in the Middle
I often employ a counter-intuitive approach to help clients bring greater awareness and access to the depth of content on their websites. No matter how we plan, it’s a challenge for many solo and small businesses to even know what they’re going to create at the start. My method recommends creating this content however it […]
Exploring a New Playbook
On Wednesday, there was buzz about both how quickly the administration turned on new websites and the accessible features found on them. Today I want to look into one resource that likely helped guide this process from the USDS, the Digital Services Playbook. This guide builds on best practices from both government and private business. […]
Editing Documentation, marking simple changes
Documentation written primarily for your own use is challenging for multiple reasons. Because no one will ever see it, do you care about creating a consistent method for writing and editing? Yes. A simple formula to follow will help lower the friction to creating it in the first place. After it’s written, this text is […]
3 questions I ask when planning in uncertainty
I know you’re bombarded with tips that claim to unlock the one perfect way to work right now, I am too. Those articles and social media posts make it challenging for me to write about the topic. I cry BS on the snake oil cures of productivity. Life (and work) is a process, a journey […]