Ola is doing a can-do-with-effort sub-task
Ahoy, skill-builder pirate of Jamstackia!
We looked into one useless-on-it's-own sub-task in my last letter, and I promised you this letter would be about "How do you know what type of sub-task is right to bite off for your dev-brain?"
To can't-do or NOT can't-do, that is the question.
🗣️ 💀
Answer: a can't-do sub-task is bad for your brain
After years of piraty experimentation on the Pirate Princess, my current conclusion is "a can't-do sub-task is bad for your brain" because it's stealing your focus like a pirate steals loot. So a can-do-with-effort sub-task is better for your focus and thus your dev-brain.
I'll soon tell you WHY a can't-do sub-task is stealing your focus like a pirate, but first: WHAT is a can-do-with-effort sub-task?
WHAT is a can-do-with-effort sub-task?
You sometimes start out with a can't-do sub-task. Then after practicing a little, it becomes a can-do-with-effort sub-task. And Then, after practicing a lot more, you have a can-do-96%-reliably sub-task because you have finally nailed your sub-task into your dev-brain.
Imagine a yellow board with three parts:
- a can't-do sub-task
- a can-do-with-effort sub-task
- a can-do-96%-reliably sub-task
You write your sub-task on a blue sticky note and move it from 1. to 2. and then to 3.
WHY a can't-do sub-task is stealing your focus like a pirate?
Like me, you probably also have many sub-tasks on your can-do-with-effort board. You need one less sub-task on your can-do-with-effort board. Because for each sub-task you have on your can-do-with-effort board, the harder it is for your dev-brain to focus on nailing the sub-task you're practicing in the moment. According to Kathy Sierra's badass book Badass, having too many sub-tasks on her can-do-with-effort board is The Number One thing stealing focus and wrecking the skill-buildership of developers.
HOW do you find your can-do-with-effort sub-task?
A. Look back on a dev-task you did last week
B. Bite off a can-do-with-effort sub-task
Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of GO! 😺
Example (Warning: summer workcation tall tales alert! ☀️ 🗣️ 💬 🔈)
Let's look at my slightly off-topic but weirdly handy example from our piraty summer workcation.
A can-do-with-effort sub-task for Lillian (7 🏴☠️👸)
Twisting the outboard engine handle:
- To go faster forward
- To go slower forward
Your TODO
Write up an idea for a sub-task and email it to Lillian (7 🏴☠️👸) and me. That would help us a lot! Then bite off a can-do-with-effort sub-task from a dev-task you did last week.
🏴☠️😺👍
ARR!
Stay piraty 🏴☠️😺👍 and keep practicing!
Cap'n Ola Vea
P.S The following letter will cover "Decide to automate your sub-task into your dev-brain in one practice session."