Comments on: What Gives?

By: Maniqui

Maniqui — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:58:20 +0000

Derek said: “We’re working at building the most important communications network in history.”

The communication network is already built. We may have perverted it at little from its original purposes.
I understand that, originally, the Web was supposed to be a place for sharing knowledge, and business weren’t going to be allowed on this place.

But it seems we discovered that it can help doing new business, and now the Web is part of the machinery that let people make money… money out of nothing:

There is going to be a cra$h.

By: Smiffy

Smiffy — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:43:53 +0000

Thank you for this piece of essential reading, Derek.

Smiffy’s corollary (longer-winded version at http://www.smiffysplace.com/what-gives-smiffys-corollary) may be summarised in two points:

* Quality of work is far more a key to productivity than quantity. (And more quantity will lead to less quality.)
* At risk of sounding all recursive, prioritisation has to be first priority.

By: c patrick smith

c patrick smith — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:42:03 +0000

All true…and thank God for David Allen and GTD.

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:40:13 +0000

After suffering through at least one case of web burnout, I pretty much nod my head when anyone says anything about people on the web working themselves to an early grave. It’s just not worth it. Work should help give your life purpose and meaning but not at the expense of being able to live a life. There’s a whole world outside and away from the internet and it’s really easy to forget that as we’re all so caught up in a new this or a new that.

I wrote a piece of A List Apart that was published back in May on just this topic for those that may not have seen it.

Hang in there Derek. Anytime you want to chat, you know how to get a hold of me.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:08:25 +0000

It’s interesting, Lachlan and I had this very same conversation last week. We have it about every 3 months. It is ridiculous to live this way.

I don’t want to live my life as a Z-index! instead of adding things on top of each other we need to be adding them to the end of the queue.

I wonder how often we say yes to OR even Offer to work crazy deadlines, when we should really be controlling the flow..?

By: Jimboot

Jimboot — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:28:03 +0000

@jason king HEAR HEAR Sir! 15 for me. Wait till you go thru a dotcom exp then you’ll know you’re alive. I only employ people who see working in the Net industry (not the same as the web kids!) as a vocation. It’s a brave new world out there. It constantly changes overnight. Get on with it or get out of the way.

By: John Faulds

John Faulds — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:27:07 +0000

in order to provide for my family I feel more pressure for the business to do more — take on more work, expand what we’re doing, have more income so that I can provide more comfort, more food, more whatever. more. more. more.

But is the pressure you're putting on yourself warranted? If your family is happy with the comfort, food, whatever they have now, why push yourself harder to provide more? I know our society is geared towards acquiring new things, having the latest and greatest (probably more prevalent among people who work with technology constantly too), and that the trend across all industries is to be working more hours (Australia apparently is one of the worst offenders in this category), but you said it yourself, what you do with your family matters, so it comes down to a question of what is more important: what you do with your family as opposed to what you do for them.

By: Jason King

Jason King — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:43:00 +0000

PS: Yes, my blog is down, I haven’t deployed it to a new host after closing my old hosting down because – I’ve been so busy moving to San Diego to follow work, starting a new job, finding somewhere to live , flying back to Australia to sort out my visa, working 16 hour days, having the funding pulled from that project, mountain biking, getting another job, establishing a credit rating, buying a car, hiking, finding a house, learning Spanish, moving my wife, two kids and two dogs to San Diego, learning sass & haml and teaching them to my team, buying new 110v electrical appliances, enrolling my kids in a new school, going to the beach, spending time with my wife, going to Mexico, going for walks around Lake Miramar, buying new furniture – all since June 1st.

Burnout? No time, too busy living and loving life. 10 years? Try 18 since my first website and still learning new stuff and loving the web more than ever. Now really, life isn’t going to live itself.

By: Jason King

Jason King — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:31:00 +0000

I don’t get you guys at all. Burnout? 10 years? “the most important communications network in history”

Get over yourselves. We hack together websites, not microcode on heart lung bypass machines. We make some cool social apps, not program airbag control units.

What gives? Your own self importance. Now stop whining, shut your computer and go hug your family.

By: Stephen Collins

Stephen Collins — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:23:48 +0000

Damn straight, Derek!

The commitment I made to you about focus and balance back in July hasn’t really panned out all that well as I focussed too hard on work (and securing new work), but this is a great kick.

I’ve started already in work, pushing back against unreasonable demands that would require me to sacrifice nights and weekends too often.

Time to refocus and rebalance. Tomorrow will be a great day of balance – it’s the weekend and I will spend time with my wife and daughter and do some exercise.