Some key learnings from many years in the tech trenches. All of these build on one another.

Taking written notes leads to doing work right. Work done right leads to deep learning and the ability to teach. Teaching makes you wise enough to know when to use AI and when AI is using you.

Take Notes

When you think you can keep meeting notes in your memory, write meeting notes anyway. At some point in most meetings, you will come to the point that you will need written notes, but it will be too late. You will forget the past key points and make an already expensive meeting more expensive. Your prompt for writing notes should not be you losing track of items – it defeats the point and is like going to war without amo.

Do The Work Right

Do the task fully every time. Document, comment code, and do the tedious work. Laziness is for people who like to work harder and be rewarded less. Over time, doing a pile of dishes at once takes longer than small batches. When the piles grow, your kitchen will be smelly and full of bugs, and you won’t be rewarded with an enjoyable workspace.

Teach Your Craft

Teach someone what you learn, so you retain the knowledge you worked hard to acquire longer. When you learn something new, teach someone else: a friend or your future self. Blogging your findings is a great way to teach. Teaching is a critical part of knowledge retention. Retaining knowledge makes your future work go smoother.

Use AI Wisely

Don’t use AI or copy and paste to accomplish tasks that make you smarter and wiser. Only use it to remove the dehumanizing work you encounter: repetitive tasks (not associated with learning; you still need to learn those times tables) and tasks you will not repeat in the future (you can’t know everything deeply, decern what needs to be in your core competency)


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