Planning for Personal Sparkles: A COVID-19 Plan

Can’t focus? Yeah. Me neither. For some of us, we’re now balancing multiple responsibilities at the same time like kids and work. For others, burn out, information overload, and quarantine side effects are weighing on us. For everyone, working during a global pandemic offers unique challenges and regardless of who you are, we all have less time in the day when we’re able to focus. In this talk, learn about setting goals and working in a way that helps you recognize and reflect on your accomplishments and progress to make the most of that limited time and give yourself some much needed personal sparkles.

Transcript

1. Planning for Personal Sparkles:
   A COVID-19 Plan
   Allison McMillan
   @allie_p
   daydreamsinruby.com for the worksheet
   

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11. Question Time
    

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12. Question 1:
    You are helping someone who wants to go to
    your airport, the center of town or railway
    station. You would:
    a. go with them.
    b. tell them the directions.
    c. write down the directions.
    d. draw, or show them a map, or give them a
    map.
    

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13. Question 2:
    A website has a video showing how to make a
    special graph. There is a person speaking, some
    lists and words describing what to do and some
    diagrams. You would learn most from:
    a. seeing the diagrams.
    b. listening.
    c. reading the words.
    d. watching the actions.
    

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14. Question 3:
    You are planning a vacation for a group. You
    want some feedback from them about the
    plan. You would:
    a. describe some of the highlights they will
    experience.
    b. use a map to show them the places.
    c. give them a copy of the printed itinerary.
    d. phone, text or email them.
    

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15. Question 4:
    You are going to cook something as a special
    treat. You would:
    a. cook something you know without the
    need for instructions.
    b. ask friends for suggestions.
    c. look on the Internet or in some
    cookbooks for ideas from the pictures.
    d. use a good recipe.
    

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16. Question 5:
    A group of tourists want to learn about the parks
    or wildlife reserves in your area. You would:
    a. talk about, or arrange a talk for them about
    parks or wildlife reserves.
    b. show them maps and internet pictures.
    c. take them to a park or wildlife reserve and
    walk with them.
    d. give them a book or pamphlets about the
    parks or wildlife reserves
    

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17. Question 6:
    You are about to purchase a digital camera or
    mobile phone. Other than price, what would
    most influence your decision?
    a. Trying or testing it.
    b. Reading the details or checking its features
    online.
    c. It is a modern design and looks good.
    d. The salesperson telling me about its features.
    

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18. Question 7:
    Remember a time when you learned how to do
    something new. Avoid choosing a physical skill,
    eg. riding a bike. You learned best by:
    a. watching a demonstration.
    b. listening to somebody explaining it and
    asking questions.
    c. diagrams, maps, and charts - visual clues.
    d. written instructions – e.g. a manual or book.
    

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19. Question 8:
    You have a problem with your heart. You
    would prefer that the doctor:
    a. gave you something to read to explain what
    was wrong.
    b. used a plastic model to show what was
    wrong.
    c. described what was wrong.
    d. showed you a diagram of what was wrong.
    

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20. Question 9:
    You want to learn a new program, skill or game
    on a computer. You would:
    a. read the written instructions that came with
    the program.
    b. talk with people who know about the
    program.
    c. use the computer controls or keyboard.
    d. follow the diagrams in the book that came
    with it.
    

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21. Question 10:
    I like websites that have:
    a. things I can click on, shift or try.
    b. interesting design and visual features.
    c. interesting written descriptions, lists and
    explanations.
    d. audio channels where I can hear music,
    radio programs or interviews.
    

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22. http://vark-learn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/The-VARK-Questionnaire.pdf
    

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27. Tailor strategies to
    how you learn
    

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28. Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Goals
    Steps
    1. Goals
    

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29. Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Goals
    

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30. SMART
    Specific
    Measurable
    Attainable
    Realistic
    Time-constrained
    Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Goals
    

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31. Lines of Code
    Features Completed
    Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Goals
    

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32. Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Goals
    

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33. Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Goals
    

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34. Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Goals
    

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35. • Learn to put search functionality into the user
    homepage
    • Feel more comfortable with defining my
    abilities
    • Commit something to OSS
    • Build something using JavaScript
    Bad Goals
    Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Goals
    

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36. • Write a useful script
    • Continue to improve in testing and learn more about testing
    concepts like stubbing, mocking, and message chains
    • Understand the basics of relational data modeling and
    relational data
    • Become more of a go-to person for pairing and getting
    unstuck
    Better Goals
    Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Goals
    

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37. • Write a useful script
    • Continue to improve in testing and learn more about testing concepts like
    stubbing, mocking, and message chains
    • Understand the basics of relational data modeling and relational data
    • Become more of a go-to person for pairing and getting unstuck
    Your Turn
    Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Goals
    

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38. Goals Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Action
    1. Goals
    2. Actions
    Steps
    

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39. A goal without a plan
    is just a wish
    -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
    Goals Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Action
    

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40. How will I know if I’m making progress?
    What are the smaller things that need to be learned or
    done in order to accomplish this goal?
    What is my plan for breaking this goal down into
    smaller parts in order to accomplish the goal one step
    at a time?
    Goals Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Action
    

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41. Goals Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Action
    

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42. Learn 4 testing frameworks
    Continue to improve in testing and learn more
    about testing concepts like stubbing, mocking,
    and message chains
    Read a blog post about
    mocking
    Bad Action Steps
    Goals Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Action
    

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43. Become more of a go-to person for pairing and
    getting unstuck
    Ask everyone all the time if
    they have questions
    Try to drive all the time
    Bad Action Steps
    Goals Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Action
    

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44. Continue to improve in testing and learn more about testing
    concepts like stubbing, mocking, and message chains
    Become more of a go-to person for pairing and getting unstuck
    Find scenarios that require complex testing concepts
    Do test set-ups from scratch
    Pair with interns and let them ask questions
    Determine what areas are good for me to be a
    go to person
    Better Action Steps
    Goals Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Action
    

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45. Continue to improve in testing and learn more
    about testing concepts like stubbing, mocking,
    and message chains
    2. Find scenarios that require
    complex testing concepts
    1. Do test set-ups from scratch
    Better Action Steps
    Goals Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Action
    

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46. Continue to improve in testing and learn more about testing concepts like stubbing,
    mocking, and message chains
    2. Find scenarios that require complex testing
    concepts
    1. Do test set-ups from scratch
    Your Turn
    Goals Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Action
    

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47. Goals Action Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Accountability
    1. Goals
    2. Actions
    3. Accountability
    Steps
    

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48. Goals Action Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Accountability
    

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49. Goals Action Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Accountability
    

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50. Goals Action Incorporate Assess Reflect
    Accountability
    Your Turn
    

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51. Goals Action Accountability Assess Reflect
    Incorporate
    1. Goals
    2. Actions
    3. Accountability
    4. Incorporate
    Steps
    

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52. Goals Action Accountability Assess Reflect
    Incorporate
    

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53. Pick up the issue
    most related to your
    learning goal(s)
    Goals Action Accountability Assess Reflect
    Incorporate
    

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54. If you can’t:
    Ask to pair with whomever does
    Goals Action Accountability Assess Reflect
    Incorporate
    

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55. If you can’t:
    Ask to pair with whomever does
    Code review the pull request
    Goals Action Accountability Assess Reflect
    Incorporate
    

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56. Incorporate your goal
    into the tickets you
    DO pick up creatively
    Goals Action Accountability Assess Reflect
    Incorporate
    

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57. Do tests exist?
    What do you think of them?
    How do the tests relate to the methods being tested?
    Look at a similar file to compare and contrast
    Goal: Continue to improve in testing and learn
    more about testing concepts like stubbing,
    mocking, and message chains
    Goals Action Accountability Assess Reflect
    Incorporate
    

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58. Test Drive the ticket
    Add tests after
    OR
    Goal: Continue to improve in testing and learn
    more about testing concepts like stubbing,
    mocking, and message chains
    Goals Action Accountability Assess Reflect
    Incorporate
    

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59. Ask specific questions on your pr to make it
    easy to get feedback
    Goal: Continue to improve in testing and learn
    more about testing concepts like stubbing,
    mocking, and message chains
    Test Drive the ticket
    Add tests after
    OR
    Goals Action Accountability Assess Reflect
    Incorporate
    

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60. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Reflect
    Assess
    1. Goals
    2. Actions
    3. Accountability
    4. Incorporate
    5. Assess
    Steps
    

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61. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Reflect
    Assess
    

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62. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Reflect
    Assess
    

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63. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Reflect
    Assess
    

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64. Retrospectives
    Make your own additional retro
    Liked, Learned, Lacked
    Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Reflect
    Assess
    

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65. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Reflect
    Assess
    

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66. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Reflect
    Assess
    Your Turn
    

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67. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Reflect
    Assess
    

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68. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Reflect
    Assess
    

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69. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Reflect
    Assess
    Your Turn
    

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70. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    1. Goals
    2. Actions
    3. Accountability
    4. Incorporate
    5. Assess
    6. Reflect
    Steps
    

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71. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    

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72. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    

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73. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    

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74. Goals Action Accountability Incorporate Assess Reflect
    

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77. Thank you!
    

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78. @allie_p on Twitter
    allison.p.mcmillan@gmail.com
    www.daydreamsinruby.com
    

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