Do the Opposite - "If You Aren't Technical, Get Technical", Salary Negotiation, Calendars vs To-do lists

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If You Aren't Technical, Get Technical
Years ago, when deliberating whether to start learning to code or not, I stumbled upon this short (very much so) article by Fred Wilson (VC), which helped me finally commit to learning. My goal was, and still is, to create my business, making something valuable for other people. I used to work in marketing then, a job I got after graduation. I wanted to be able to build something, not necessarily to become a great coder/programmer.

I enjoy programming and I want to keep improving my skills, but that was not the end goal for me. In this article I found "living proof" that it was possible for someone with similar goals and dreams as me to learn to code and start "making".

The reason why I share this article is - if you want to build a business or a product, but don't think that coding is for you or maybe you worry (like I did) that it's too late to learn, or that there are others who are much better than you are - drop all the worrying and really consider learning to code.

In the world of today, all jobs are tech jobs. You don't have to program every day, but even if you learn "a bit" about coding, your value as an employee will be higher than if you don't. Of course, if you like it, you can continue learning and go deeper into it.

P.S. Also don't worry if you don't have an idea for business/product yet. Ideas are cheap, execution of them is what matters in the end (Mobile phones have been around for a while when Apple made the first iPhone). Ideas will come up as you struggle/find problems in your own life experience - things that could have been done better.

Update on the #100DaysWithout Coffee Challenge
I am still going strong with the no coffee challenge. Today is Day 22 (started April 1st). It's been harder than I thought in some aspects, and easier in others. For example, I thought I would not have trouble around people drinking coffee - but the aroma is too strong. I instantly get an urge, a craving to get some coffee.

What helps is that there are so many varieties of tea. Hence, I experiment with different teas and flavours, which is enough to distract my brain from its cravings. Today's tea - Gyokuro Genmaicha:

Once I almost got a Frappuccino in Starbucks, forgetting that it's made with coffee. However, I came to my senses fast enough to stop myself :)

Articles:
1) "Start Before You're Ready" by Stephen Pressfield
An admonition for anyone looking to start something: a project, a novel, a business, learning a new skill - to do so by refusing to postpone it for one more day. Remember, tomorrow doesn't exist. Today is all there is. We love rationalizing ourselves out of starting, there is always some "obstacle" (or multiple) standing between us and the project. Either the timing is not right, or we are tired after work, or we need to learn/practice more before starting, or "this has already been done before", etc. etc. I can go on listing these excuses both because I've given them to myself before (and still often do) and because these are universal, shared by all of us. Just start!

2) "Being Tired Isn’t A Badge of Honor" by Jason Fried
A much-needed reminder that "being tired" or "overworking" is not a good thing. The quality of life is decreasing; productivity and even IQ drops over periods of over-exertion. Jason provides other great points helping silence your inner self-critic (who thinks others are doing more and better and you should be doing more). Do less, think more, and use the freed time refine actions/projects/tasks you do in your "focus" hours.

3) "Getting a raise comes down to one thing: Leverage." by Quincy Larson
You are probably making less than you are worth. It's time to change that. Start with this article by Quincy Larson, creator of freeCodeCamp.org, who shares some thinking on why you should plan towards a raise and how to make it happen. Many people think that the company is 'doing them a favour' by keeping them and paying them money, forgetting that the employer-employee relationship is nothing more than a contract, an agreement of exchanging value creation for financial remuneration. You don't owe your employer anything, they don't keep you employed out of the goodness of their heart. As your value grows, demand better pay, because the value you are creating for the company also grows alongside with you.

4) "Why Calendars are More Effective Than To-do Lists" by Srinivas Rao
It's such an interesting idea - putting a habit or an activity on a calendar is much more effective than putting it on a to-do list. The mind trick is that when we put something on a to-do list, the brain just forgets about it - there is no clear timeline on when we are going to do the task or, worse, if the task is large, no clear schedule of how to break it into smaller task-components. Let's say you want to cancel your subscription to Netflix. If you put it on a to-do list, who knows when you will get to it. However, if you add it to your calendar on Tuesday at 12am during your lunch break - it will get done.

This works well for habits as well. If you want to start meditating, but have no clear time in a day when it's scheduled, you are likely to be sporadic in your meditation sessions, or just drop the habit altogether after missing a couple of days.

I want to experiment with this idea, possibly establishing a time in a day when I am working on my personal projects - I am thinking maybe in the evening, a 2-3 hour block. Once I decide I will write about that :)

Podcast Episodes:
1) [Tim Ferriss Show] "This is Marketing" with Seth Godin
Seth Godin is THE person that comes to mind when people say "Marketing". He has a lot of great books, and a great blog. He always has fresh, "do-the-opposite" ideas. (Check out his book "Purple Cow" if you doubt it :)

Videos:
1) [Talk] "Mindfulness for Life" - A talk by Mark Williams
Mark Williams is a professor in Oxford, author of the bestseller "Mindfulness". In this talk he introduces the concept of mindfulness, gives practical tips on how to become more mindful in everyday life.

2) [Music Video] "Soy Yo" by Bomba Estéreo
This is a music video that caught my attention this week. I really like it - both for music, and for the attitude/vibe. Give it a try!

Ethos:

Quote:
"He should be delivering himself of such sayings, not memorizing them. It is disgraceful that a man who is old or in sight of old age should have wisdom deriving solely from his notebook. ‘Zeno said this.’ And what have you said? ‘Cleanthes said that.’ What have you said? How much longer are you going to serve under others? Assume authority over yourself and utter something that may be handed down to posterity. Produce something from your own resources."
– Seneca, "Letters from a Stoic"

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Keep doing the opposite,
Alexander Kallaway
https://twitter.com/ka11away