Always glad to see articles discussing an emotional side of software development (:
I do disagree with this claim (though later points temper it a bit):
Why is it important to share your work with the world? First, because
there's practically no downside, and very, very high potential upside.
There is a big downside: as the author states, finishing/releasing is hard and time-consuming. You only get one life. Every hour spent doing that stuff you won't get back. So, not a direct cost, but an opportunity cost. Personally, I find it important to acknowledge this and face it head-on, rather than waving one's hands and saying "oh, there's basically no downside." Though I admit that the latter can be a useful self-mind-hack to get the ball rolling. But first you decide what you want to do, and why you want to do it, and then you tell yourself whatever lies you need to help it get done (:
The "why is it important..." question is really critical to motivation, at least for me. A person should give that question honest thought and an answer that rings true to them.
I agree about the therapeutic aspect of putting things out into the public.
Though I don't plan to publicly share all of these proactively, just
knowing that they're publicly viewable helps give me a stronger sense
of accountability. I'm curious if it will make a difference.
Just getting things out of one's mind, and into the world (even if nobody sees them), can be important (helps my sanity, at least).
Even just the "rubber duck" sense of imagining someone might see it, can catalyze thoughts in a way that wouldn't otherwise happen, too.
Then, having people actually see them is another layer, and can be humbling and educational.
Also, apropos of nothing, this article made me think of the (mis-)quote:
We do these things not because they are easy, but because we thought they would be easy!
> Why is it important to share your work with the world? First, because there's practically no downside, and very, very high potential upside.
And say,
> There is a big downside: as the author states, finishing/releasing is hard and time-consuming. You only get one life. Every hour spent doing that stuff you won't get back
Working in public (or working at least from the assumption it will soon be made public), is something folks should try really hard to get into. It should be a default expectation for yourself. The cost is mostly mindshift!
Once you can change your default position, it no longer feels like a cost to work in public. Every action brings release.
I do disagree with this claim (though later points temper it a bit):
There is a big downside: as the author states, finishing/releasing is hard and time-consuming. You only get one life. Every hour spent doing that stuff you won't get back. So, not a direct cost, but an opportunity cost. Personally, I find it important to acknowledge this and face it head-on, rather than waving one's hands and saying "oh, there's basically no downside." Though I admit that the latter can be a useful self-mind-hack to get the ball rolling. But first you decide what you want to do, and why you want to do it, and then you tell yourself whatever lies you need to help it get done (:The "why is it important..." question is really critical to motivation, at least for me. A person should give that question honest thought and an answer that rings true to them.
I agree about the therapeutic aspect of putting things out into the public.
Just getting things out of one's mind, and into the world (even if nobody sees them), can be important (helps my sanity, at least). Even just the "rubber duck" sense of imagining someone might see it, can catalyze thoughts in a way that wouldn't otherwise happen, too. Then, having people actually see them is another layer, and can be humbling and educational.Also, apropos of nothing, this article made me think of the (mis-)quote:
Good article (: