Web Witch Weekly

Issue 8: Now lists

July 23, 2023

After two really lovely but busy weeks in Seattle and parts of British Columbia, I’m in the Valley of the Sun which is living up to its name with an unusual heatwave even for this area. It’s been over 110F everyday I’ve been here and I’ve got to say, I’m a northern gal through and through. Summer is so vital to me because it feels as through 7 months out of the year I’m hibernating in cold weather. This inability to go outside is driving me a bit stir crazy and I’m looking forward to returning to more manageable temps soon.

4th of July Sunset in West Seattle

After what’s felt like a very uncertain few months, touching base and visiting friends and family was just what I needed to snap me back on course. I’ve had some really good conversations with friends about careers, jobs, big tech and choosing a job in an area you’re passionate about even if it means taking a pay cut. It’s been refreshing and a lovely little reset.

Now Pages & Lists

I recently stumbled upon the concept of “Now” pages while deep in research about frameworks for setting goals. It’s meant to serve as a public facing list of priorities that you can direct people to when they ask what you’re working on right now. I like this idea as so rarely do we capture what we’re focused on in the different areas of our lives.

I’ve started to scribble down a few things to make a list and I’ve been thinking about how to apply this in a business and product sense. The list of initiatives and OKRs can get so long sometimes, especially as priorities shift. A Now List could be a good exercise to bring teams and/or the company back into alignment when there’s disarray. I’ve experienced too many priorities and too many goals that shift weekly and amidst the chaos its necessary to pause and keep it simple and ask, “What are we focused on right now?” Too many different answers? Then you’ve got a problem.

I can see this scaling in different ways too. What customer segment are we focused on? Too many can spell disaster for a limited product and engineering organization.

Taking a step back to ask:

What are we focused on?
Who are we focused on?

Can be a good way to refocus and make sure everyone is aligned and keep it simple. Looking back I can see where I was being pulled in too many directions in a way that was detrimental. Using a Now List to refocus and prioritize on the fly when things seem chaotic is a cheap tool to refocus amongst all the noise, and one that I’ll use in the future.

Eventually I’ll get a Now page up on my website but it’s low on the priority list to share with the world compared to the rest of my focus areas right now.

Career Things

My book is officially done! It’s gone to print and I can’t wait to hold a copy in my hand. Manning is having a number of sales this week. As of sending this email, it’s 30% off.

I’m doing design and product consulting work, and it’s as if the contract work gods knew I was ready for it. I’m booked out into August. If you’re in need of design work, a design and/or UX assessment, or product strategy work feel free to get in touch.

I’m very excited to be working with the Pinetree Music Collective (Facebook Link) based out of Seattle, WA. They’ve brought me so much joy on many a Thursday evening at my favorite West Seattle spot so I’m happy to be designing their website. It’s a nice creative break from developer tooling UI!

I received my first order through my webwitchinc shop and honestly that’s something to celebrate. Through the end of the July you can get 15% off your order with the code WEBWITCH15. Thank you for being a subscriber!

On the Web

“I am leaving” - Heydon Pickering’s latest Webbed Brief accurately (and briefly) encapsulates the current state of social media.

“CSS Glowy Spotlight Effect Using One Magic Property” - Jhey Tompkins shows us how to make a glowy spotlight effect in CSS.

“So long, Calibri: Microsoft has settled on a new font for its Office apps” - The default font for Microsoft is finally be refreshed after more than a decade.

“Good code is like a love letter to the next developer who will maintain it.” - A short post from Addy Osmani on writing good code.

“Design for Developers Foreword” - Aaron Gustafson graciously wrote the foreword for my book and with permission from the publisher, has posted it on the web.

Books of Note & Music

I am usually reading multiple books at once because what I want to read changes day-to-day unless I’m really hooked in a good fantasy novel.

Currently Reading:

Paused Reading:

I’m taking a break from tech reads so I’ve paused these two.

Finished reading:

Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals (This has a great framework to spell out the reasoning behind your goals so you’re setting yourself up for success).

Music:

Bass Coast Festival this year was wonderful in ways I wasn’t expecting and I while I only made it into the actual festival for a few sets, the music I did catch was great. I missed the set of weekend from Marcellus Pittman however (I was asleep), so I’ve been living vicariously through this RA Live Set. I’m now stalking his live dates to see if I can catch him somewhere in Europe.

Cheers and have a great week,

The Web Witch (Stephanie)