I research productivity tools when I procrastinate.
It’s a compulsion. In the moments where I should be sitting down, highly focused, in so-called flow, I’m typing nonsense like “iOS productivity apps” or “best Markdown editor” into Google. For hours. I read the lists provided by the search engine like a catechism - in a low whisper, feverishly searching for a productivity miracle.
I’ve long been on a hunt for some kind of a productivity hack that’ll stick, some trick that’ll help me get over my own inconsistencies, striking deep into the dark heart of my idiosyncrasies.
For as much as I want to take Twitter breaks, let’s be honest: I’m not. I’m going to fall sleep with my phone clutched in my right hand and wake up shining blue light into my precious orbs first thing. So, yes, I saw you manager-types. I saw you sharing your READMEs with delight - a cheeky throwback to how you used to operate as a developer. Get it? It’s technical documentation, but instead of for an API or open-source project it’s for me.
Throughout my software engineering career, I’ve struggled with and against jargon. Intellectually, I understand jargon as a set of specialized terms meant to facilitate smooth and precise communication, particularly in a professional context. It binds groups together: it’s the secret handshake, the side-long wink, the showing that yes, you’re in the club too, you belong. Experientially? I know the ways jargon can keep you out as you feel along, grasping for knowledge in the dark.