Chicken Soup for the Yak Shaver

Talk about Yak Shaving presented at Code Camp Wellington, 2018

Transcript

1. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
   Chicken Soup for the Yak
   Shaver
   thong.kuah@fluxfederation.com
   

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2. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
   Introductions
   My name is …
   My friends say I am …
   I am here to …
   

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3. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
   This is a start to a conversation
   

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4. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
   6 step programme
   1. Acknowledge the issue ✅
   2. Have a plan ✅
   3. Getting things done ✅
   4. Avoid the yak shave ✅
   5. Learn from the journey ✅
   6. Keep improving ✅
   

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5. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
   Yak Shaving ?
   https://pixabay.com/en/manali-himalayas-yak-cattle-horns-1941791/ CC0
   

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6. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
   1. Any apparently useless activity which, by allowing you to overcome
   intermediate difficulties, allows you to solve a larger problem
   2. A less useful activity done consciously or subconsciously to
   procrastinate about a larger but more useful task
   — Wiktionary “Yak Shaving” article, retrieved April 7th 2018
   

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7. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
   So, I need to wax the car
   http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2005/03/dont_shave_that.html
   https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seth_Godin_in_2009.jpg Joi Ito, CC BY 2.0
   

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8. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
   You called ?
   https://pixabay.com/en/manali-himalayas-yak-cattle-horns-1941797/ CC0
   

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9. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
   6 step programme
   1. Acknowledge the issue ⭕
   2. Have a plan
   3. Getting things done
   4. Avoid the yak shave
   5. Learn from the journey
   6. Keep improving
   

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10. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    Moving forward relies on you
    acknowledging there is a problem
    

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11. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    Choosing Ubuntu
    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Screenshot_of_Rotate_Cube_Compiz_plugin_on_Ubuntu_12.04.png MIT
    

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12. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    What has worked… for me
    • Seek feedback
    • Think about what’s my goal
    

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13. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    6 step programme
    1. Acknowledge the issue ✅
    2. Have a plan ⭕
    3. Getting things done
    4. Avoid the yak shave
    5. Learn from the journey
    6. Keep improving
    

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14. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    …Planning is essential
    

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15. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    The Giant Refactor
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/tmolini/2758231840 tmolini CC BY 2.0
    

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16. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    What has worked… for me
    • Write down your steps
    • Write down your goal
    • Be ready to adjust
    

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17. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    6 step programme
    1. Acknowledge the issue ✅
    2. Have a plan ✅
    3. Getting things done ⭕
    4. Avoid the yak shave
    5. Learn from the journey
    6. Keep improving
    

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18. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    “Yak Shaving is the last step of
    series of steps ... when you find
    something you need to do.”
    — Seth Godin: Don't Shave That Yak!
    

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19. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    Debugging an Incident
    Of the Email Variety
    https://xkcd.com/722/ CC BY NC 2.0
    

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20. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    What has worked… for me
    • Find out all the steps
    • Compromise
    • One yak a day
    

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21. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    6 step programme
    1. Acknowledge the issue ✅
    2. Have a plan ✅
    3. Getting things done ✅
    4. Avoid the yak shave ⭕
    5. Learn from the journey
    6. Keep improving
    

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22. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    The best yak shave is… no yak
    shave
    * Easier said than done
    

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23. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    Provision a demo
    site
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/21612726330 Wesley Fryer CC BY 2.0
    

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24. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    Heroku !
    

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25. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    What has worked… for me
    • Remember your goal
    • Take the smallest direct step towards your goal
    • Experience is helpful
    

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26. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    6 step programme
    1. Acknowledge the issue ✅
    2. Have a plan ✅
    3. Getting things done ✅
    4. Avoid the yak shave ✅
    5. Learn from the journey ⭕
    6. Keep improving
    

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27. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    It’s the journey…not the
    destination
    Stop and smell the flowers along the way
    

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28. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    Ubuntu
    Tinkering
    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Screenshot_of_Rotate_Cube_Compiz_plugin_on_Ubuntu_12.04.png MIT
    

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29. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    What has worked… for me
    • Learn from failing
    • Knowledge takes work and discipline
    • Be curious
    

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30. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/mandala_travel/7202418868/ Mandala Travel CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
    

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31. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    6 step programme
    1. Acknowledge the issue ✅
    2. Have a plan ✅
    3. Getting things done ✅
    4. Avoid the yak shave ✅
    5. Learn from the journey ✅
    6. Keep improving ⭕
    

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32. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    A problem worth solving… will
    always have obstacles
    

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33. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    Linting
    After the fact
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/39908901@N06/10895634164 m01229 CC BY 2.0
    

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34. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    What has worked… for me
    • Assess worthiness of change objectively
    • Develop awareness of things that can be improved
    

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35. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    6 step programme.. Success ?
    1. Acknowledge the issue ✅
    2. Have a plan ✅
    3. Getting things done ✅
    4. Avoid the yak shave ✅
    5. Learn from the journey ✅
    6. Keep improving ✅
    

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36. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    Takeaways
    • Yaks can be a source of growth. Yes it’s hard;
    • What a yak looks like
    • Different Strategies for All The Yaks
    

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37. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    References
    • The term “Yak Shaving” was coined by Carlin Vieri in his time at the MIT AI Lab (1993-8) after
    viewing a 1991 episode of The Ren and Stimpy Show featuring "Yak Shaving Day," a Christmas-like
    Holiday where participants hang diapers instead of stockings, stuff rubber boots with coleslaw,
    and watch for the shaven yak to float by in his enchanted canoe. See https://projects.csail.mit.edu/
    gsb/old-archive/gsb-archive/gsb2000-02-11.html
    • http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2005/03/dont_shave_that.html
    • https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2005/03/05/yak-shaving.html
    • https://www.hanselman.com/blog/YakShavingDefinedIllGetThatDoneAsSoonAsIShaveThisYak.aspx
    • https://stories.buffer.com/how-to-stay-focused-on-your-goals-when-yak-shaving-takes-over-
    b58f4b56c463
    • https://the-composition.com/a-taxonomy-of-yak-shaving-102da591308b
    

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38. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow
    Thank you
    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bos_grunniens_at_Yundrok_Yumtso_Lake.jpg Dennis Jarvis CC BY-SA 3.0
    

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