Celebrate Small Things

I contribute to a weekly newsletter on embedded linux and IOT, invariably, I find it challenging to write since there is not much that might have happened in a weeks time which my mind considers worth noting, we tried to delay the newsletter in hope of collecting splashy content, yet another possible way out is to start referencing other articles, news or write ups since there might be a bigger sense of splash in them, however, this does not create new value for newsletter subscribers are looking for. If they were looking for aggregation then they would use many fancier tools out there.

In a fast paced environment, many things are happening around us we fail to take notice of, due to distractions or constant context and task switching that our mind fails to register them. This can be even more, where work is happening in a rolling release mode. Sometimes, it is dictated by the nature of work e.g. support roles in a software product organization. This can be quite draining if this continues for a long period of time. Our brain needs feedback and a sense of accomplishment to keep the energy level and return to the task list.

So what is the way out ?

There are many small things happening around on a daily basis. Some of them are part of a series to become a bigger milestone and some are independent. Therefore, it’s important to take an intentional note of these small achievements at the end of the day or convenient time. In a team setting it’s even more useful, where the team can recognize that small bug fix which smoothened the daily sprint, or a reference to a technical blog which unblocked another developer. Make it part of the daily scrum call agenda. Make (mental or written) notes of the small progress diligently, this could become part of a bigger milestone, ( The splash thing ) eventually.

If you write newsletters, or blogs, note the idea whenever it comes, however small it may be, in a google doc or note taking mechanism one might have. Work on multiple ideas, as the context fits on a daily schedule. This will build up a pipeline of write-ups, where there will be no dearth of good content to put out for your readers even on daily bases.

I am making this small tweak to my writing habits, let’s see where I get with it.