Continuous Improvement

The ideas and tools within the DevOps community are increasing and evolving each day. The pace is fast and only seems to be getting faster. How can we as individuals keep up without getting distracted or overwhelmed by every new thing? How can we intentionally move ourselves forward in a sustainable way? Continuous improvement provides a mindset for approaching this ongoing challenge. At its core, continuous improvement is a way to focus on getting a little better each day. In this talk we will dive into practical techniques like removing mental overhead through fixing what bugs you. We will look at developing deep focus as a critical skill for problem solving. We will also explore some learning techniques that will allow us to approach new tools and ideas with confidence and effectiveness.

I gave this as an Ignite talk at DevOps Days Nashville 2016. Here are some of the things I mentioned:

* Tool Sharpening: https://devchat.tv/ruby-rogues/129-rr-sharpening-tools-with-ben-orenstein
* Deep Work: http://calnewport.com/books/deep-work/
* The Art of Learning: http://www.joshwaitzkin.com/the-art-of-learning/

Video recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYJ468vEExQ

DevOpsDays BNA 2016: https://www.devopsdays.org/events/2016-nashville/program/lee-jones/

Transcript

1. DevOps is Amazing!
2. DevOps is Overwhelming!
3. Growth Mindset
4. Continuous Improvement
5. Tool Sharpening Ben Orenstein
6. List
7. Fix
8. Daily Improvements
9. Invest
10. Deep Work Cal Newport
11. Focus
12. Drain the Shallows
13. Go Deep
14. Deliver Value
15. The Art of Learning Josh Waitzkin
16. Deliberate Practice
17. Study
18. Reflection
19. Learning to Learn
20. Continuous Improvement Get a little better each day. • Tool Sharpening • Deep Work • The Art of Learning