Journal of Tormod Haugen

It is now over two weeks since I said I would focus on my blog and theme. And I haven’t blogged the last week. Good start? Yes, I think so.

I haven’t done as much as I wanted to, but I wouldn’t say that much time has been lost to me switching focus. The lack of updates the last week is unfortunate, though, and I should focus on getting blog posts out even if my focused project isn’t going forth. I’ve been spending time on other things than the blog lately, but most of that is on stuff that is more important than a project; friends, family etc.

I’ll drum together a package with the changes I’ve done to Simpla, and make it available. It is CC licensed, so it is alright. I might do more later, but the next blog/theme related project is to hack together a new look, as I have mumbled about earlier. This is not my next project.

I’ll blog my next focus later today, and I’ll also try and keep my updates ticking in a few times a week, at least.

This last six months I have focused a bit more on managing my spare time. It started out well, with me doing a bit more work on Wikka Wiki, maintaining a monthly (board) gaming evening and getting a bit more out of my evenings. Then it started to slip out again, as usual. Too many projects started, none ended - not even to a milestone or one measly todo-list item.

I suck at organizing myself outside of work, and I know it. What it usually boils down to, is my phasing creativity and motivation. It helps having people working on the same thing, or at least inquiring into my work. I guess this is one of the reasons I get things done at work. That and coffee, guilt and integrity.

So, I’ve decided I need to get to burning bridges aga… things done again. I have Getting Things Done standing unfinished in my bookshelf, I know how to do agile methods in projects, reviews and stuff. I just don’t apply it outside of work. Something must change.

I’ve been reading David Seah’s blog for a while, and at least one of his good ideas have registered over time; his Groundhog Day resolutions. I first thought I’d try something like that, but as I am trying to fix up my spare time, I wanted a bit more time on my resolutions. Quarterly or something like it. That being an awful lot of time, I thought to have some sub-goals sprinkled in between - monthly or some such. Right. Back at the start.

Last week I read Corvus Elrod’s Hats in the New Year, and decided that; yes - it is time to get something done around here. After a brief chat about one of his projects I managed to derail the conversation in on keeping focus on one project at a time, and he suggested taking an agile approach. As that actually makes sense, I’ll try it out. Quarterly (fuzzy) goals filled with two week sprints. This, with accountability from blogging, should keep me focused on a (few) projects at a time. If not, the problem probably is the wetware aprox. ten inches from the screen…

As it is in the middle of the holidays right now, I won’t commit just yet. Though I’ll say this; there is an overwhelming chance that my first goals will be related to me getting into blogging regularly. I need that.

Have a nice time.

Today is the last day in my vacation. I’ve spent the bigger part of the day watching children play in the daycare center where my three year old son will be going until he is ready to start school. During this time it struck me that being unemployed would be nice… apart from not paying much.

I guess this is a symptom many parents share. You really don’t get that much time off during vacation anyway.

I need to set up backup at home, play a bit more with this blog, code on a few private projects and a few more things. This is stuff I planned to do this summer, but time flies.

I’m happy about how this summer turned out anyhow.