Many of you are familiar with software company 37 Signals. For those of you who have never heard of 37 Signals, they are the rockstars of minimalist web-based software design. We're big fans of 37 Signals at PointAbout. 37 Signals has recently released a free e-book called "Getting Real" that talks about smart software design. More on that in a minute.
First, here's a great interview with 37 Signals by Interface Magazine:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/37assets/svn/JF_UI_1.png
http://s3.amazonaws.com/37assets/svn/JF_UI_2.png
If you're a software designer, or you're interested in software design, or you just want to immerse yourself in a different way of thinking, you should definitely read Getting Real, a 171 page book by 37 Signals. The book is divided up into a series of separate essays that can each stand alone.
Many of you are familiar with software company 37 Signals. For those of you who have never heard of 37 Signals, they are the rockstars of minimalist web-based software design. We're big fans of 37 Signals at PointAbout. 37 Signals has recently released a free e-book called "Getting Real" that talks about smart software design. More on that in a minute.
First, here's a great interview with 37 Signals by Interface Magazine:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/37assets/svn/JF_UI_1.png
http://s3.amazonaws.com/37assets/svn/JF_UI_2.png
If you're a software designer, or you're interested in software design, or you just want to immerse yourself in a different way of thinking, you should definitely read Getting Real, a 171 page book by 37 Signals. The book is divided up into a series of separate essays that can each stand alone.
I just read Getting Real and here are my take-aways and here are my take aways: A lot of what 37 Signals says is obvious, and yet over and over I've observed people having trouble believing in its mantras (myself included). So although it seems obvious to some, maybe to you, it won't be obvious to everyone, and in fact some people may fight you on these points tooth & nail.
37 Signals, while huge in reputation, is only 16 employees. Amazing how high their influence & productivity level is with such a small team.
They write, "You can't give away your magic. But you can give away some basics." 37 Signals believes in teaching as much as possible. PointAbout is focusing on knowledge transfer with our new office at 1410Q that will allow us to really embrace and follow this approach.
My Favorite Essays from Getting Real:
Build less features: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch02_Build_Less.php
Build with 3 people: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch03_The_Three_Musketeers.php
Macro to Micro: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch04_Ignore_Details_Early_On.php
When is it a problem? http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch04_Its_a_Problem_When_Its_a_Problem.php
Make opinionated software: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch04_Make_Opinionated_Software.php
Half, not Half-Assed: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch05_Half_Not_Half_Assed.php
It doesn't matter: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch05_It_Just_Doesnt_Matter.php
Start with No: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch05_Start_With_No.php + the 23 steps to the hidden costs: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch05_Hidden_Costs.php
Forget feature requests: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch05_Forget_Feature_Requests.php
Brainstorm to coding: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch06_From_Idea_to_Implementation.php
Avoid Preferences: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch06_Avoid_Preferences.php
Alone Time: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch07_Alone_Time.php
Meetings are toxic: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch07_Meetings_Are_Toxic.php
Hire less: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch08_Hire_Less_and_Hire_Later.php
Hire based on open source contributions: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch08_Actions_Not_Words.php
Get well rounded individuals: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch08_Get_Well_Rounded_Individuals.php
Hire good writers: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch08_Wordsmiths.php
Epicenter Design: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch09_Epicenter_Design.php
Importance of the blank slate: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch09_The_Blank_Slate.php
Build admin into the design: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch09_One_Interface.php
Restate hard problems as simpler ones = write less software: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch10_Less_Software.php
The code pushes back: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch10_Code_Speaks.php
No functional specs: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch11_Theres_Nothing_Functional_about_a_Functional_Spec.php
Ride the blog wave: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch13_Ride_the_Blog_Wave.php
Everyone including developers should be handling support: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch14_Feel_The_Pain.php
Quick support turnaround times: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch14_Answer_Quick.php
Prioritize bugs: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch15_All_Bugs_Are_Not_Created_Equal.php
No knee-jerk reactions: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch15_Ride_Out_the_Storm.php
Three years ago, I wrote a blog post on being hyper-efficient on a computer -- or to put it another way, being so good on a computer that you play it like a virtuoso on a musical instrument. So much has changed in my daily workflow that I realized it was time for me to update that post.
The first order of business is that you can't improve what you can't measure. So if you're serious about being able to use a computer with the speed and zeal of Dash outrunning a flying saucer, first you need to find out how fast (or slow) you are today. Go over and take my GeekSpeed challenge. See if you can break the 1 minute mark.
If you can't, then here are some of the things to focus on to make the 8+ hours per day you spend in front of your computer much, much more productive:
Do you often forget where you put things, like your keys? I'm fascinated by the way our brains work, and here's what I've deciphered to date: