"Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work."
— Chuck Close
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This Wasn't Suppose...
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This made me think about my own version of “locking in.” 🙈
I'm very consistent once something becomes part of my routine. My 1400+ day Duolingo streak is probably the funniest proof 🤭
With tech, though... curiosity always wins :D I always have too many interesting things I want to do at once.
So I liked the idea that we can have several commitments, just not do everything at the same time. Maybe that's the part I need to get better at :)
Now I just need to stop opening new tabs every time I find another interesting thing to explore :D
1400+ days in Duolingo is an outstanding result. Actually I might use it right now, as I’m learning German. I’ve never used it and I could use your feedback, is it worth spending time on?
Regarding opening new tabs, I have that sort of habit of adding interesting videos to “watch later” only to never open them again. I have so many unwatched videos, it’s embarrassing. 😄
For me, those tabs eventually turn into bookmarks. I already have hundreds of them saved for “later”... Do you ever finally go back to your “watch later” videos only to realize they're already outdated? That happens to me with my bookmarks.😃
And yes, I think Duolingo is definitely worth trying. I do Italian every day, and I can already understand quite a lot and speak a little too, although I've also had some real-life practice, so Duolingo can't take all the credit. :)
German might be a different story, though. Italian is probably easier, but I'd definitely give it a try and see how it works for you.
Those videos usually don’t get outdated but there must be videos that are 2 yo in that list😂
I always close my tabs so I’m someone who doesn’t understand how is it possible to have dozens of tabs opened at the same time😄
As for the Italian language, I also started learning Italian, but then decided to increase the difficulty and decided to learn German instead😄
Either way, learning languages is the best excuse to travel to Either of those countries - they’re amazing both of them.
This is a really nice, ready-to-implement system! 😊 The only thing I’d add is a plan for what happens when life gets in the way, for example, when someone misses two or more days because of illness, family issues, or anything else. I think having a clear “return plan” for getting back on track without abandoning the whole system would make it even stronger.
Thank you for a great feedback!
And that’s actually a great point I haven’t included that part. Maybe somewhere down the like I’ll publish the third part of the series to complete a trilogy and I’ll talk about it there. 😄
The line that stuck: inspiration is optional, the machinery isn’t.
What I’ve been stealing from “same day, 180 times” is making the review as boring as the work. If underperformers don’t get a fixed kill/re-steer slot, “I’ll get back to it” becomes a permanent warm file — and the streak dies of politeness, not of failure.
Curious how you keep the machinery from becoming a second job: do you cap the review to a hard minute budget, or is the rule itself the cap (one decision per item, no reopening)?
Well, when something is so deeply embedded in your system, you stop looking at it as a job. It becomes part of you, which really helps, because now it’s part of the baseline.
That baseline” framing is the unlock I was missing.
I kept treating the review as a separate chore on top of the work — so of course it felt like a second job. If the kill/re-steer is part of the same motion as the work itself (same slot, same chair, same boring checklist), there’s nothing left to get back to.”
Trying one rule this week: the review isn’t scheduled after the work; it ends the work. No separate calendar block, no evening catch-up. Curious whether your baseline includes that hard stop, or whether the habit is more “I just notice the underperformers without a ritual.”
That’s a good plan. Try it and see the results for yourself. I was skeptical in the beginning, but everything starts to feel more natural after a few days.
Appreciate that — skeptical to natural after a few days is exactly the curve I am watching for.
I will run the smallest version for a week and judge it on whether it still feels lighter on day 7, not day 1. Thanks for the nudge.
You're welcome! Good luck!
I really like how you get specific with discipline. Not everyone loves the process and not everyone enjoys reading it. However, I think more people should to realize that achieving something great has it's own price. Consistency and discipline has been my mantra ever since I career jumped and I'm happy that I'm still here and continually building myself to become a better software engineer.
Thank you for stating real and relatable experiences. Most of them I have experienced myself and I can attest to it. It is hard, really hard. But just keep doing it with intention and you'll get far. Just had my frontend libraries certificate yesterday, and now I'm gunning for a backend certification and building projects along the way.
It's a never ending learning experience and the action itself is the destination!
It’s great that you approach your career like that, cause when you’re consistent and can put in some effort consistently, success pretty much becomes a matter of time.
Keep doing that. And congrats on your certification!🔥
Your step‑by‑step walk‑through of how the locking‑in machinery works, especially the real‑world examples you sprinkled throughout, really demystifies a usually opaque topic. If you think it could help even more developers, consider syndicating it on ZyVOP (zyvop.com) to broaden its reach.