How to be a Productive Developer

My first talk, given at the Frozen Rails conference, on how to be a more productive developer. A humorous, yet informative talk with a specific focus on Ruby and Rails developers.

A special thanks to Zed Shaw for his material that I referenced, and to Steve Klabnik for being a great sport and counter-trolling me so expertly!

Transcript

1. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   How  to  be  a     Produc:ve  Developer   Jeremy  Walker  -­‐  iHiD  
2. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
3. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
4. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
5. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   C8 H10 N4 O2  !=  Produc:vity  
6. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   You  are  an  individual.  
7. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Developers  tend  to  share  traits.  
8. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Let’s  talk  about  me!  
9. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   I’m  Jeremy  Walker  (iHiD)   Technical  Co-­‐founder  of  Meduca:on  
10. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   I  work  too  hard.  
11. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   04:49  
12. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Working  too  hard  will  break  you.   It  will  not  make  you  produc:ve.  
13. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   <rant>  
14. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Work  as  li[le  as  possible.”  
15. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Work  when  you  feel  inspired.”  
16. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Ar:sts  
17. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Musicians  
18. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Scien:sts  
19. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Engineers  
20. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Inventors  
21. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Designers  
22. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Architects  
23. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Builders  
24. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Gardeners  
25. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Crea:vity  is  an  important  part  of  our   job,  but  it’s  only  a  part  of  our  jobs.  
26. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Work  smart,  not  hard”  
27. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Work  smart  AND  hard.  
28. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
29. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Genius  is  1%  inspira:on  and   99%  perspira:on.”   Thomas  Edison  
30. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   </rant>  
31. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Anyway…  
32. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   What  is  Produc:vity?  
33. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Achieving  or  producing  a   significant  amount  or  result”   Dic:onary  
34. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Producing  the  largest  amount  of   high  quality  code  possible,  for   the  amount  of  effort  exerted.  
35. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Maximising  your  output  for  input.  
36. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Working  a  20hr  week?     Get  20hrs  of  results.  
37. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Working  a  60hr  week?     Get  60hrs  of  results.  
38. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Mindset  
39. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Mo:va:on  
40. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
41. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Money.   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
42. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Money.   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
43. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Money.   2.  Career  Progression   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
44. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Sco[  Chacon   Github  
45. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Why  would  you  want  to     get  promoted?!”   Sco[  Chacon    
46. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   S:ll  There   Quit  
47. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   S:ll  There   Quit  
48. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Money.   2.  Career  Progression.   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
49. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Money.   2.  Career  Progression.   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
50. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Money.   2.  Career  Progression.   3.  Wri:ng  sooware.   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
51. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   I  love  coding.  
52. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Mo:va:on  
53. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
54. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
55. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
56. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
57. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Developers  love  coding.  
58. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Money.   2.  Career  Progression.   3.  Wri:ng  sooware.   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
59. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Money.   2.  Career  Progression.   3.  Wri:ng  sooware.   4.  Learning  Something.   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
60. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
61. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
62. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   (Gary  Bernhardt  doesn’t  waste  :me  on  things  like  logos)   Destroy  All  Sooware  
63. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Money.   2.  Career  Progression.   3.  Wri:ng  sooware.   4.  Learning  Something.   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
64. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Money.   2.  Career  Progression.   3.  Wri:ng  sooware.   4.  Learning  Something.   5.  Achieving  Something.   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
65. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Money.   2.  Career  Progression.   3.  Wri:ng  sooware.   4.  Learning  Something.   5.  Achieving  Something.   6.  Making  the  world  be[er.   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
66. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
67. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Money.   2.  Career  Progression.   3.  Wri:ng  sooware.   4.  Learning  Something.   5.  Achieving  Something.   6.  Making  the  world  be[er.   What  gets  me  out  of  bed?  
68. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Dr  Raymond  Buick  
69. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Dr  Raymond  Buick  
70. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Take  ownership  of  your  mo:va:ons   and  work  because  of  them.  
71. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Your  work  is  going  to  fill  a  large   part  of  your  life,  and  the  only  way  to   be  truly  sa:sfied  is  to  do  what  you   believe  is  great  work.     And  the  only  way  to  do  great  work  is   to  love  what  you  do.”   Steve  Jobs  
72. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Push  your  brain.  
73. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Challenge  yourself.  
74. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Get  involved  in  open  source.  
75. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Think  you’re  a  badass?  
76. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Write  a  Ruby  interpreter     in  Prolog.  
77. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Make  sure  your  day-­‐to-­‐day     work  excites  you!  
78. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Demo:vators   (Boooooo!!)  
79. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   What  makes  me  hide  under  the  covers?  
80. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.   Long  projects.   What  makes  me  hide  under  the  covers?  
81. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   I  need  to  see  results  to  stay   mo:vated.  
82. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “If  you  feel  bogged  down,  quit  for  the   day  and  a[ack  the  problem  tomorrow”  
83. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   If  you  feel  bogged  down,  go  and   work  on  something  else  for  a  bit.  
84. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Programming  is  varied.    
85. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Don’t  use  your  nega:ve  feelings  as   an  excuse  to  be  lazy.  
86. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Genius  is  1%  inspira:on  and   99%  perspira:on.”   Thomas  Edison  
87. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Deploy  early.  
88. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.   Long  projects.   What  makes  me  hide  under  the  covers?  
89. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.   Long  projects.   2.   Fear  of  failing.   What  makes  me  hide  under  the  covers?  
90. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Fear  kills  crea:vity”   Zed  Shaw  
91. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Failing  sucks.  
92. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Failure  leads  to  learning.  
93. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “I  have  not  failed  700  :mes.  I  have  not   failed  once.  I  have  succeeded  in  proving   that  those  700  ways  will  not  work.”   Thomas  Edison  
94. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “When  I  have  eliminated  the  ways   that  will  not  work,  I  will  find  the   way  that  will  work.”   Thomas  Edison  
95. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Don’t  be  scared  of  failing.  
96. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Failure  is  not  a  prerequisite  for   success.”   Our  “Benevolent  Dictator”  
97. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   …but  neither  is  it  something  to   demo:vate  you.  
98. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.   Long  projects.   2.   Fear  of  failing.   What  makes  me  hide  under  the  covers?  
99. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.   Long  projects.   2.   Fear  of  failing.   3.   Procedures  and  Methodologies   What  makes  me  hide  under  the  covers?  
100. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   The  UK  has  gone     health  and  safety  mad.  
101. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Myth  Busters  Challenge  Panel.”     Part  of  the  Health  and  Safety  Execu:ve:   a  UK  Government  department.  
102. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
103. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
104. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “There  is  a  risk  that  children  may   impale  themselves  on  the  s:cks”   Health  and  Safety  Officer  
105. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
106. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
107. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
108. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   I  some:mes  think  we  have  the  same   issue  in  the  Rails  community.  
109. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Programming,  Motherfucker   Zed  Shaw  
110. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   I  ♥  Zed  Shaw  
111. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “We  are  a  community  of  motherfucking   programmers  who  have  been  humiliated   by  sooware  development  methodologies   for  years.”   The  “Programming,  Motherfucker”  manifesto.  
112. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   So,  this  is  a  joke.   But  also,  it’s  true.  
113. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Some:mes  you  just  want  to  write   some  code.  
114. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Zed  made  a  website.  
115. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Zed  Shaw’s  “methodology”…  
116. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Zed  Shaw’s  “methodology”…   1.  Made  a  list  of  shit  to  do.        
117. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Zed  Shaw’s  “methodology”…   1.  Made  a  list  of  shit  to  do.   2.  Did  that  shit.      
118. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Zed  Shaw’s  “methodology”…   1.  Made  a  list  of  shit  to  do.   2.  Did  that  shit.   3.  Checked  that  shit  was  good.  
119. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Zed  Shaw’s  “methodology”…   1.  Made  a  list  of  shit  to  do.   2.  Did  that  shit.   3.  Checked  that  shit  was  good.   4.  Repeated.  
120. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   There  were  no  tests…  
121. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
122. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   But…  
123. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   NO  KITTENS  DIED!!!!!!   (and  the  website  worked  fine.)  
124. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
125. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “If  you  don't  use  a  strict  development   method  and  ideology,  then  you  might   run  the  risk  of  succeeding.”   Hampton  Catlin  
126. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Some:mes  you  need  to  just  code.  
127. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Don’t  be  a  lazy  shit.  
128. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   What  makes  me  hide  under  the  covers?   1.   Long  projects.   2.   Fear  of  failing.   3.   Procedures  and  Methodologies  
129. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.   Long  projects.   2.   Fear  of  failing.   3.   Procedures  and  Methodologies   4.   Deadlines.   What  makes  me  hide  under  the  covers?  
130. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Being  good  under  pressure”       does  not  mean…     “Being  under  pressure  is  good”.  
131. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.   Long  projects.   2.   Fear  of  failing.   3.   Procedures  and  Methodologies   4.   Deadlines.   What  makes  me  hide  under  the  covers?  
132. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Mo:va:on  
133. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Work  out  what  mo:vates  you,  and   make  sure  get  it  in  your  life.  
134. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Work  out  what  demo:vates  you,  and   find  ways  to  combat  it.  
135. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Discipline  
136. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Steve  Klabnik  
137. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Ruby  Hero!!  
138. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   King  of  the  Distrac:on  Trolls.  
139. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Somewhere  In  England…   Class  CompetitionEntryBlock  <  Email::Element            has_extra_data  foreign_key:  :element_id  do            belongs_to  :competition      end   I  am  in  the  zone!  
140. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Somewhere  In  England…   Class  CompetitionEntryBlock  <  Email::Element            has_extra_data  foreign_key:  :element_id  do            belongs_to  :competition      end   I  am  in  the  zone!  
141. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Somewhere  In  England…   Class  CompetitionEntryBlock  <  Email::Element            has_extra_data  foreign_key:  :element_id  do            belongs_to  :competition      end   I  am  in  the  zone!  
142. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Meanwhile  in  his  evil  lair…   …Steve  is  plowng  how  to  destroy  my  day.  
143. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Hypermedia!!  Strong  Parameters!   Rails  4!!  Pussy  Riot!!     …Steve  is  plowng  how  to  destroy  my  day.   Meanwhile  in  his  evil  lair…  
144. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   TWITTER!!!!!!   …Steve  is  plowng  how  to  destroy  my  day.   Meanwhile  in  his  evil  lair…  
145. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Meanwhile  in  his  evil  lair…   …Steve  is  plowng  how  to  destroy  my  day.   WIKIPEDIA distraction playbook.
146. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Steve  Hour™    
147. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   @rubydramas  
148. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   DHH:  “Here’s  some  code”                   DHH  vs  the  world  
149. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   DHH:  “Here’s  some  code”   Community:  “We  don’t  want  this  in  Rails”                 DHH  vs  the  world  
150. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   DHH:  “Here’s  some  code”   Community:  “We  don’t  want  this  in  Rails”   DHH:  “It’s  going  in”               DHH  vs  the  world  
151. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   DHH:  “Here’s  some  code”   Community:  “We  don’t  want  this  in  Rails”   DHH:  “It’s  going  in”   Community:  “Seriously,  can  we  please  rethink  it”               DHH  vs  the  world  
152. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   DHH:  “Here’s  some  code”   Community:  “We  don’t  want  this  in  Rails”   DHH:  “It’s  going  in”   Community:  “Seriously,  can  we  please  rethink  it”   DHH:  “It’s  going  in”           DHH  vs  the  world  
153. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD     DHH:  “Here’s  some  code”   Community:  “We  don’t  want  this  in  Rails”   DHH:  “It’s  going  in”   Community:  “Seriously,  can  we  please  rethink  it”   DHH:  “It’s  going  in”   Community  “The  maintenance  headache  is  going   to  be  annoying”         DHH  vs  the  world  
154. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD     DHH:  “Here’s  some  code”   Community:  “We  don’t  want  this  in  Rails”   DHH:  “It’s  going  in”   Community:  “Seriously,  can  we  please  rethink  it”   DHH:  “It’s  going  in”   Community  “The  maintenance  headache  is  going   to  be  annoying”   DHH:  “Seriously,  fuck  off.  I  wrote  Rails  –  it’s  going   in!!!”     DHH  vs  the  world  
155. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Turn  off  the  internet.    
156. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Turn  off  the  internet.   (Just  your  bit,  not  the  whole  thing!)  
157. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   No  e-­‐mail  FTW!!!!!  
158. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Every  morning  I  think  ‘damn,  I'm   gonna  get  SO  much  stuff  done   today’,  and  then  I  make  the   mistake  of  checking  my  email.”   Aaron  Pa[erson  
159. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Maximise  your  :me,  all  of  the  :me.  
160. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   What  do  you  do  while     your  tests  run?  
161. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Dura:on:  30secs   Frequency:  10  mins  
162. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   5%  of  each  hour.   (3mins)  
163. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   5%  of  my  day.   (24mins)  
164. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   5%  of  my  month.   (1  day)  
165. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   5%  of  my  year.   (12  days)  
166. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   5%  of  my  career.   (2  YEARS)  
167. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Two  fucking  YEARS.  Wasted.  
168. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Open  source  for  24mins  per  day.  
169. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Two  fucking  YEARS.  Contributed.  
170. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Everything  comes  to  him  who   hustles  while  he  waits.”   Thomas  Edison  
171. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Never  Stop  Typing.  
172. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Flow.  
173. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Fully  immersed  in  a  feeling  of   energized  focus,  full  involvement,   and  enjoyment”     Wikipedia  on  Flow.  
174. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Environment.  
175. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   “Aoer  years  of  empirical  tes:ng,  I've   iden:fied  the  op:mal  soundtrack   for  gewng  shit  done  (tm):  silence.”   Ilya  Grigorik  
176. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Breaks.  
177. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Lifestyle.  
178. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Sleep.  
179. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Levels  of  Cor:sol  (stress  hormone)   increase.  
180. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Lep:n  levels  decrease.   Ghrelin  levels  increase.     You  get  hungry.   Your  BMI  rises.  
181. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Frontal  lobe  is  affected,  reducing   ability  to  concentrate.  
182. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Your  prefrontal  cortex  is  mashed.       You  become  emo:onally  irra:onal.     You  struggle  to  recognise  people.  
183. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Insulin  levels  decrease.   Blood  sugar  levels  rise.  
184. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Your  memory  is  fucked.  
185. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Sleep.  
186. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Exercise.  
187. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Input  changes  output.  
188. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
189. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
190. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
191. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
192. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
193. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD  
194. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Input  =  Output  
195. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Take  Away  Points  
196. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   1.  Work  hard  if  you  want     to  achieve  something.   Take  Away  Points  
197. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   2.  Know  what  mo:vates  you     and  get  lots  of  it.   Take  Away  Points  
198. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   3.  Know  what  demo:vates  you     and  avoid/combat  it.   Take  Away  Points  
199. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   4.  Programming,  Motherfucker.   Take  Away  Points  
200. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   5.  Maximise  all  of  your  :me.     Never  stop  typing.   Take  Away  Points  
201. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   6.  Work  our  what  rou:ne  and   environment  lets  you  achieve  Flow.   Take  Away  Points  
202. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   7.  Turn  off  the  internet     (not  the  whole  thing,  just  your  bit!)   Take  Away  Points  
203. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   8.  Treat  your  body  with  respect.   Take  Away  Points  
204. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   9.  Don’t  feed  or  follow  the  troll.   (@steveklabnik)   Take  Away  Points  
205. Frozen  Rails  2012   @iHiD   Go  forth  and  be  produc:ve.   Jeremy  Walker  -­‐  @iHiD