Articles for category: Initiative

December 17, 2024

Greg Thomas

Jump In

If it’s not organized, organize it. If the current code doesn’t work, fix it. If the words don’t fit, rewrite them. If the team is suffering, get them together, and figure it out. If you see the problem, jump in. You don’t have to have all the answers or the final solution. You do have to be willing to take that first leap to make the change happen. Otherwise, sit, complain, stew, grumble, sulk – resolve yourself to do that instead (but you can do better).

December 12, 2024

Greg Thomas

Start Chopping

Too much on your plate? Start chopping. Too much to get done? Start chopping. Too many thoughts running through your head? Start chopping. We’re past the whole “say no” to new things, you already said yes, so now your options are to keep going or to start chopping and moving on the tasks that matter to you and that you want to get done.

December 9, 2024

Greg Thomas

Losing Creative Flow

When things go wrong, sideways, and you feel lost – all creative flow goes out the window. It’s one thing if creativity is a heavy part of your job – your livelihood depends on that flow existing to some extent – so you’ll need to put in the time. But when you don’t have that dependency, it’s an ebb and flow and the hardest thing with any creative endeavor is to get started. Show me someone who does creative work (drawing, coding, writing, speaking, etc, etc) and has never lost their flow? It’s impossible. Yeah, sit down at the chair

December 5, 2024

Greg Thomas

Where all My Machines at?

I am convinced, there is a machine, at every gym, where there is only one.  This machine might as well be in the centre of the room. Everyone wants it, everyone needs it. If you look away for a second, someone has swooped in and taken your spot. Why aren’t there two? It can’t be costly. Have you looked around the room?  There are tons of machines with the same cords, weights, seats, etc. And it’s not space. So what is it?  Why is there only one and not more? I’m convinced that this machine is what keeps you in the

Finding Your Workspace

My first job, I can only describe as 12 people crammed into a 2-bedroom apartment.  If I moved my head to the left, I would make eye contact with a person 3 ft away, 2ft beside me was another developer and 2 ft behind me were the servers.  I once backed into the server and accidentally hit the keyboard triggering a copy. My second job was in a larger building, but they never had enough room so they kept moving us around.  In the few years I was there, I think I changed desks 4 – 5 times. Then I