2024 Weeknote 10

March 4-10

Starting with weeknotes

This is my first attempt at “weeknoting” after being inspired by Matt Jukes who referred to Steve Messer’s piece about working in the open. My intention is to make this mostly a weekly affair, probably on Fridays or over the weekend.

I’m starting with “Weeknote 10” because this is the 10th week of 2024, not because it’s the 10th week I’ve been doing this.

Still attempting an index card task habit

This past week I got a starter pack of the Ugmonk Analog system cards, after spending a couple weeks with basic index cards. It feels good to write, to make something physical. Though I’m not yet sure whether this will make a difference in my ability to prioritize and complete work better than an all-electronic approach.

A video I saw this weekend summed up a key insight for me: that electronic systems are excellent at collecting projects and tasks, but they are terrible at helping you get actual work done because the weight of all the collected tasks is debilitating—either by making starting much harder, or by encouraging a focus on organization and constant re-organization, rather than finishing work.

The act of physical writing and organizing slows me down to the scale of work being actually finished.

Cataract surgery completed

This week was a bit less productive than usual because I took Tuesday off to complete cataract surgery on my left eye. Everything went well, but being drugged for the procedure took me out of commission for the day and I was, of course, fairly stressed, despite the surgery being extremely common and fast.

Most of the stress for me was around how things would play out. I’ve had a thick cataract in the left eye since late 2000, as a result of multiple retinal detachment repair surgeries. How would my brain handle being able to see through that eye again (more than just light/dark and large shapes)? Plus, with the retinal damage done, how would I process my right eye and left eye images?

I did get a headache for perhaps a day, as I was trying to pull the images together (subconsciously), but the results were better than expected. This journey will continue for another couple months as things settle in and I get a new glasses prescription.

One thing’s for sure, though… I now want to pursue cataract surgery on the other eye, if it can be done safely. I now capture much more light in the eye with the intraocular lens, and colors are brighter / more vibrant, too. It’s obvious now my right eye is slowing fading and needs the same procedure at some point.

Building a new monthly Impact Report and Story Card for #FCDC

I’m working intensively on the creation of 2 new monthly products, aimed at our Board and other county leaders, that will “tell our story” as an organization. This involves our entire leadership team to some degree. But being something entirely new, it’s taking a lot of extra mental effort to figure out the right focus and level of detail required to get the message across.

Part of what we’re producing is also a “Story Card” which will literally be printed and distributed to all concerned, including staff. This is a shorter piece that’s more narrative, more emotional, and less factual. To help develop this item I’ve been studying “storytelling” in a organizational context, including starting an online class next week.

The goal of all this? To inform, but also to gather support for continued expansion of our efforts. To have a broader, more meaningful impact, we need more headcount in particular. And that requires financial and leadership support. The only way to get that support is to prove we do good things with the resources we’re given. And the best way to do that is to share info, but more importantly paint a picture of what we’re doing.

Upcoming NACo webinar

It’s been a bit of work (and will be a bit more), but I’m looking forward to the webinar I’m helping produce on March 14 for the National Association of Counties (NACo). We’re sharing how we used Quickbase to solve a technical debt challenge presented by a legacy COBOL app.

I thought it was nice our counterparts from Quickbase felt Eric and I had a natural and engaging style. I think that comes from having made presentations so many times in recent years, and from being on camera nearly constantly since the start of the pandemic. Plus, we have a good story to tell on this one.

GX+ Season 1 wrapped

We completed “Season 1” of the “GX+” 8-week schedule this past week, including a lovely Wrap Party hosted by Sarah and an all-staff event where we looked back at how each team handled this new approach to organizing work efforts into set time blocks. We’re still learning a lot about this.

A couple observations right off the bat:

• We need more all-staff contact points

• We should probably read or share some kind of growth media or experiences a few times a year, to keep us connected

  • Shape Up would likely be a good choice for the GX Development and GX Platform teams

  • Hack Your Bureaucracy would be excellent for the GX Concourse team, though I bet they could write the book

• The GX teams accomplished more than I realized, which is making me concerned that I am not sufficiently plugged-in to what they are doing

Are my work foci appropriately balanced?

My job has always been split between doing work for the broader organization and my specific teams. In a small org like ours, leaders wear multiple hats. But balancing where you spend your efforts is key. You can’t ignore your teams for the overall organization for too long, or your teams and their efforts will suffer.

Lately I’ve been pulled into two major new org-wide efforts: building our all-new monthly reports and building an all-new work recognition (awards) program. While these are not solo efforts, I’m still doing the bulk of the work to get things off the ground.

This is raising concerns for me that I’m not leaving enough time or mental energy to fully engage with my own teams and their needs. And I’m not sure how to fix this.

Still thinking about the GX Foundry site and how to find time to post stuff

I’m sharing Substack-based Notes a few times a week — links and commentary. But I’ve yet to find the time to gather everything together into at least a weekly roundup. And we have lots more to tell.

I think this is another example of my time being drained away toward broader organization work, not leaving enough time for the team.

Grab bag of notes

• I finally filed all my 2023 taxes this weekend, using TurboTax as in years past. But I’m hopeful because the IRS is making inroads on better GX via their Direct File pilot program.

• Created my weekly pixelecho post.

• The revival of Comedy Central’s “At Midnight” show into the new CBS-based “After Midnight” show has been going well. Taylor Tomlinson has hit her stride and the show is a delight. Can’t believe they’re doing a full hour four nights a week, but we do appreciate watching everything on YouTube.

• I’m growing convinced the Aptera may never reach mass production, even on a small scale. The video they released in the last couple weeks suggests they don’t have the cash to make it to production, they’ve been laying people off, they’re likely to raise the price and cut features, and I’ve learned via Reddit their stock structure is investor-hostile. I really want that car, but… I may have to move on.

• Still thinking about the Camino de Santiago for 2025 or beyond. But the wife wants to go smaller and head to Ireland for a less-known and shorter 82-mile trek called St. Patrick’s Way. That would definitely take less time and money. But I would still like to walk across Spain someday.

• Started looking at the Clippers schedule for this upcoming season. I’ll take selected folks out to the ballgame again this year.

Looking back at everything above… I may be starting to see why each week feels a little exhausting. And I don’t even have kids to care for! This doesn’t feel sustainable.