Software development – Use it for your Life!
Sep 13
I’m currently reading a book on software development practices. It’s not a regular book about the boring old, regular process. (Software requirements, use-cases and all that boring shit.) But, I will not bore you with the details, I just wanted to share something I realized while reading. While I’m sitting here reading about their approach to software development I can’t help but notice how extremely relevant this is for life in general. Read this (my notes):
- Create a clear vision
- Fuck the details, get the stuff working
- Don’t deal with problems that doesn’t yet exist
- Don’t try and please everyone
- Focus on the absolute minimum, features can come later
- Essentials only, cut the crap
- Better be a no-man, than a yes-man (Perhaps not applicable to all, but certainly to some!)
- Make only promises I can actually keep
- Iterative development is key
See what I mean? Pretty much all of these (except for, you know which one) are totally applicable to life. Take ‘Fuck the details, get the stuff working’. I could definitely use some of this in my life. How often do I find myself obsessing about details, when all I should focus on is to actually get something done. It’s almost laughable how often I do this. Details, details, details…
‘Essentials only, cut the crap’, another good one. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed with all the stuff I have in my house, and it’s distracting. These days, since having become aware of the problem, I make an effort into telling myself no, especially when it comes to ‘getting stuff’. Thinking in terms of ‘Essentials only, cut the crap’ isn’t exactly bad advice.
My favourite is probably ‘Iterative development is key’. This really is true for life. Don’t try and design and figure out life in one go, it will never, ever go the way it was ‘supposed’ to. It’s much better to start doing something, anything, then make small adjustments through an iterative process. Trying to get rid of a bad habit? Iterative development! Do it in stages. Don’t try and do it all at once… do it iteratively, one small piece at a time. Trying to learn how to paint? Don’t bother with getting amazing results the first time, it won’t happen (definitely not for me anyway). Iterate, one stroke at a time until you reach some results, they may not be the desired results, but they are results nonetheless.
If you’re interested in reading the book yourself, you can find it here.
I like iterative development as well, it is pretty much like parenting, one step at a time. When you are a parent of a baby it is almost impossible to imagine being a parent of a teenager, but once the child is a preteen (maybe about 12yo), it is much easier to imagine and then deal with a teenager. re f*** the details, this is something I still struggle with, but try to deal with by discussing an issue with someone outside my immediate professional area who doesn’t quite know the subject, so that I am forced to summarise and look at the big picture away from details, tends to refocus where I am going.
I am enjoying your blogs and the thinking around them and look forward to meeting up with you and Johanna this winter, and your dog of course, we will be missing ours.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the blogs, as I enjoy writing them. It has also been somewhat of an eye-opener for me; writing that is. Sometimes it’s good to be forced into translating thoughts into the written word, because it helps frame a problem or idea.
F the details, I know the feeling. I definitely have issues with this myself, but I have gradually over the last year begun to learn how to focus on the big picture first and later allow myself to break it down into smaller, more manageable, components.
We’re very much looking forward to seeing you as well! Would be really fun if we could find the time to meet in Stockholm (at our house!), and if not we’ll just have to meet in Karlskrona instead.