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
2. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow Introductions My name is … My friends say I am … I am here to …
3. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow This is a start to a conversation
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 ✅
5. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow Yak Shaving ? https://pixabay.com/en/manali-himalayas-yak-cattle-horns-1941791/ CC0
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
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
8. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow You called ? https://pixabay.com/en/manali-himalayas-yak-cattle-horns-1941797/ CC0
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
10. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow Moving forward relies on you acknowledging there is a problem
11. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow Choosing Ubuntu https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Screenshot_of_Rotate_Cube_Compiz_plugin_on_Ubuntu_12.04.png MIT
12. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow What has worked… for me • Seek feedback • Think about what’s my goal
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
14. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow …Planning is essential
15. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow The Giant Refactor https://www.flickr.com/photos/tmolini/2758231840 tmolini CC BY 2.0
16. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow What has worked… for me • Write down your steps • Write down your goal • Be ready to adjust
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
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!
19. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow Debugging an Incident Of the Email Variety https://xkcd.com/722/ CC BY NC 2.0
20. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow What has worked… for me • Find out all the steps • Compromise • One yak a day
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
22. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow The best yak shave is… no yak shave * Easier said than done
23. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow Provision a demo site https://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/21612726330 Wesley Fryer CC BY 2.0
24. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow Heroku !
25. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow What has worked… for me • Remember your goal • Take the smallest direct step towards your goal • Experience is helpful
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
27. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow It’s the journey…not the destination Stop and smell the flowers along the way
28. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow Ubuntu Tinkering https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Screenshot_of_Rotate_Cube_Compiz_plugin_on_Ubuntu_12.04.png MIT
29. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow What has worked… for me • Learn from failing • Knowledge takes work and discipline • Be curious
30. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow https://www.flickr.com/photos/mandala_travel/7202418868/ Mandala Travel CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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 ⭕
32. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow A problem worth solving… will always have obstacles
33. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow Linting After the fact https://www.flickr.com/photos/39908901@N06/10895634164 m01229 CC BY 2.0
34. Thong Kuah @kuahyeow What has worked… for me • Assess worthiness of change objectively • Develop awareness of things that can be improved
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 ✅
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
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
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