Experimenting

Now that my plan to blog once a week seems to be out the door, I thought it was time to experiment with something new.

Of course, I don't yet know what that something new should be. And I'm not exactly brimming with free time to experiment. I've been contemplating a site rebrand for a while, but I haven't had time to plan it out. This magazine layout style puts too much emphasis on each individual post. I tend to feel, because of the layout, each post needs to be lengthy and insightful, but sometimes I just want to write down a feeling. It's a blog, not a novel.

I'd love to write more about technology and software development, given how much of my life is currently devoted to each. In some ways, I feel extremely qualified to write such things. In other ways, I feel the daily issues I face are probably issues other people have already addressed and written about in a more informative way. This is an unnecessary restriction I seem to have placed on myself. Probably has something to do with confidence and procrastination.

Also, it's no fun writing about work when you're working all day and night. I'm experimenting with my diet these days. That's fun. I've tried the bulletproof coffee thing and loved it. It has forced me to yank the old french press out of the cabinet, hence the photo associated with this post. I suspect my Keurig is getting sad, but I seem to enjoy the morning ritual of boiling water.

I've toyed with intermittent fasting ideas. I'll never be able to strictly follow a fad diet, but I'm trying to piece together the aspects of various ones that work best for me (based on what my doctor has suggested). The fancy word for this type of experimentation is biohacking, but I'm not analyzing the data and results closely enough to be considered a biohacker. Nor am I really hacking anything. I'm simply following a few guidelines and suggestions. Getting healthier and fitter will be good enough for me.

I'm experimenting a bit at work. Trying different processes and tools. Attempting to build a product as efficiently as possible, while keeping it stable and not burning out myself or my team. I often tell people that software development, especially in a world where agile processes are easily misunderstood, can feel like an assembly line with a neverending supply of new orders to fill. Nothing can burn out a team faster than a high pressure assembly line that never stops moving. It's critical to allow experimentation, and it's more critical to celebrate milestones and achievements. The experimentation gets tricky when beaten down my excessive workloads, short timelines, and the cash crunch of a startup, but we shall persist. I already have a few ideas in the works. Cool new (money making) features on the way.

I'm not experimenting at all in terms of artistic endeavors. I'm rarely taking photographs (or partaking in activities overflowing with opportunities for taking unique photos). Novel writing has all but stopped over the past two years as I focus on building a software business. And filmmaking has returned to the status of pipe-dream. So all I can do is encourage and support other people's art by donating time/money or attending performances. It's better than nothing.

So the point here? I'm experimenting with experimenting. Thus far, most experiments have been short lived. None of them have been outlandish. I will try harder to be more outlandisher. The most outlandishest?

Anyway, I'm off to work on the business. I'll try to find more ways to experiment while doing so. I expect it will benefit all involved.