I realize I'm late coming to the Ruby on Rails party, but wow, just wow.

I would classify myself as an asp.net C# developer, Java before that, C/C++ before that then there was basic and Ada (yes, Ada). All things considered I'm very comfortable with knowing what's going on behind the scenes and generally pretty excited about new technologies. I was excited to start using the MVC stuff for ASP.NET when it came out.

All I can say about Ruby on Rails is wow, it's really magic.

After developing with it for just a few days I can see how much work and thought was put into making it a really usable fun language that does a lot of the pedantic work for you. Their MVC paradigm isn't forced, but rather feels like the entire language and framework were built around it. The language is comfortable even though it's new. All in all, if you've been thinking about trying out ruby on rails, give it a shot, and be amazed.

Will I start writing every little thing in ruby? No. I still love C#, but being a technophile I'm always interested in the next thing that's going to make me smarter or make my life easier. Learning Ruby has done that. I'll keep it up and check back here.

Labels: coding, free time, interesting

I'm not sure why I stopped blogging, but recently I've felt increasingly like I have something to share, perhaps this is solely narcissistic thinking but on these pages you will likely find me rambling about whatever strikes my fancy. Additionally I'm going to try to keep any sort of "audience" out of my mind and post commentary that I enjoy and know about.

That said, enough about me, on to the first blog post in more than two years.

One of the things that I find really interesting is personal productivity. I'm constantly trying new things out and assessing whether or not that's making me better at what I do, whatever that is.

Of course this is a big topic, entire blogs, books, and speakers are dedicated to this. I'm going to write about it as I find time, and about small topics that will give big impact and great results.

Impact and results, there's a great place to start.

When I think about getting things done I try to frame my activities and goals in Impact and Results. I ask myself "does this particular activity provide the greatest impact? Will it provide the greatest results?" If yes, then I know it's the most important thing to do at that time. If not, I have to assess if there's something better to do right now, if this is the right thing to focus on, but the activity needs to be revised to give better impact and results, or if the activity in question isn't worth doing at all.

I just gave a one hour presentation to my company about personal productivity and I framed this in an analogy. I like to climb mountains. In mountaineering the goal is very clear, summit the mountain and return safely. It's the route that causes problems and discussions along the way. North slope, or south? Attempt to cross a crevasse, or hike around? With each decision we either get closer to our goal or farther away, a good leader can predict the outcome of the decision and will choose wisely.

A good leader will also be able to course correct when it makes sense. The path that looked so clear and perfect may be completely incorrect as we get nearer. Many times we will layout a set of activities to complete a goal and blindly complete those activities throughout the day or week. When the activities are completed and the goal has moved we feel as though we've been spinning our wheels without getting anywhere, and indeed we have. It's important to look up and make sure that the goals and activities still make sense and that they are the best we can do. Constantly assess the activities and goals you're working on to ensure they are ideal.

Completing activities is meaningless if they aren't the right activities.

When deciding which activity to do ask yourself, will this activity get me closer to reaching my goal? Does this activity have the most impact? Will it provide the best results? With each decision and each activity make sure you're always getting closer to the goal.

That's enough for now. In my next blog I hope to talk about a couple of techniques I use to stay on task and complete the activities I've chosen for the day and week.

Labels: productivity