In this ~1 hour video developer advocate Sam Julien shares his tips for shipping faster:
tl;dr
You’ll need a system that enables you to consistently produce results on which you can get feedback on.
Action + Speed + Feedback = Growth
How to Create Consistently?
The problem:
The “Ultimate Guide” Trap: Trying to write a big, all-encompassing article leads to exhaustion and burn-out. You stop writing for months.
The Developer Content Creator Cycle
- Overwhelming to know what to create
- Difficult to cross things off the list (unfinished drafts)
- Never-ending cycle
Explorer’s Mindset
Don’t think of content (or any other skill you’re building) as a dictionary to memorize.
Instead: think like an explorer.
The secret lies in Consistent Small Wins.
Comfort is the enemy of growth.
(But self-care, too!)
Sam does not encourage the “hustle mindset”.
How to Grow
Do challenging things quickly and get feedback.
What?
- production-focused (article, video)
- trackable
- measurable
Getting feedback:
- does it work?
- learning in groups
- learning in public
Building a Content System
Systems trump Motivation
Build a small but complete system.
1. Draft
- gathering notes
- creating an outline
- first draft
2. Create
- writing/recording
- adding images
- code samples
3. Publish
- publish on your site
- adding social images
- cross-posting
4. Promote
- Twitter threads
- forums & chat groups
- talks
5. Garden
- Update over time
- maintain & correct
- cross-link
Creation Phase (Step 1 to 3)
Tools
Scratch pad
Eliminate the distraction of figuring out where to jot something down.
Look for: speed, ease of use, ability to export.
Google Keep, Drafts app, etc.
Knowledge Base
Slow burn your drafts and link your ideas together.
Look for: cross-linking, collections, multimedia.
Evernote, Obsidian, Roam, Notion.so, etc.
Task Manager
Ship things faster by determining the next action and context for a project.
Look for: works with your brain, ability to add context/tags
OmniFocus, Google Keep, etc.
Tips for Creating Content
- In the beginning, move fast to define your process (do tiny expirements).
- Start with what you know.
- Stuck? Try the TIL format.
- Don’t over-engineer too quickly.
TIL Format
- Intro: 2 or 3 sentences describing the problem.
- Body: describe the solution and how you got there.
- Final Solution: Finished code for copy&paste.
- Conclusion: 1 or 2 sentences re-capping the problem and solution.
Post-Publication Phase (Step 3 to 5)
- Every piece of content has a price tag (promotion & maintenance).
- Provide direct value on each platform (don’t dump your stuff).
- Be patient.