Developer Tea

Jonathan Cutrell

About

Developer Tea exists to help driven developers connect to their ultimate purpose and excel at their work so that they can positively impact the people they influence.

With over 13 million downloads to date, Developer Tea is a short podcast hosted by Jonathan Cutrell (@jcutrell), co-founder of Spec and Director of Engineering at PBS. We hope you'll take the topics from this podcast and continue the conversation, either online or in person with your peers. Twitter: @developertea :: Email: developertea@gmail.com

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838 episodes

Practical Application of Information Theory

In this episode we discuss a practical application of information theory. Information theory is similar to the classic theory of communication, but distinct in important ways; these two theories together are a useful combo for creating a strategy for clarification. 🙏 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: UNBLOCKED https://getunblocked.com If you would rather spend your time coding instead of digging for answers or dealing with questions from colleagues, give Unblocked a try. Unblocked provides helpful and accurate answers to questions about your codebase. Get started at getunblocked.com https://getunblocked.com/. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. https://www.developertea.com/contact 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

17m
Mar 27
Revisiting Core Working Principles - Hyperfixation on Measurements and Communication Degradation

In today's episode we talk about working principles again. Specifically, we're looking at a problem with measurement fixation, as well as the natural curve of degradation that most communication follows. 🙏 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: JAM.DEV https://jam.dev/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=2024_02_developertea If you’re an engineer and you would rather spend your time writing code than responding to comments in your issue tracker, send your team Jam.dev. Go to jam.dev https://jam.dev/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=2024_02_developertea to get started, it’s free. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. https://www.developertea.com/contact 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

19m
Mar 22
Revisiting Core Working Principles - Clarity as a Precursor to Focus and Strategy for Possibilities

In this episode we are revisiting some of my own personal core principles of working. I'm sharing these with you for you to do whatever you want with them, so please share however you can! The principles we discuss today are around the relationship between clarity and focus, and about how most negotiations aren't about feasibility but instead about strategy. 🙏 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: NEO4J https://neo4j.com/developer?&utm_campaign=GDB&utm_content=AMS-SrDev-ABM-Evergreen%5B%E2%80%A6%5DvHub1--&utm_medium=Audio&utm_source=Developertea&utm_justglobal= Is your code getting dragged down by endless JOINs and long query times? Try simplifying the complexity with graphs! With Neo4j, you can code in your favorite programming language and against any driver. See what graphs can do for you at Neo4j.com/developer https://neo4j.com/developer?&utm_campaign=GDB&utm_content=AMS-SrDev-ABM-Evergreen%5B%E2%80%A6%5DvHub1--&utm_medium=Audio&utm_source=Developertea&utm_justglobal= 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. https://www.developertea.com/contact 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

18m
Mar 20
Two Principle Categories To Judge Productivity Advice

In today's episode we talk about principles of productivity. Most of the advice you receive will fit in the two categories we discuss in this episode. Once you connect with these ideas, you'll be able to use them for your own gain. 🙏 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: JAM.DEV https://jam.dev/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=2024_02_developertea If you’re an engineer and you would rather spend your time writing code than responding to comments in your issue tracker, send your team Jam.dev. Go to jam.dev https://jam.dev/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=2024_02_developertea to get started, it’s free. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. https://www.developertea.com/contact 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

23m
Mar 16
Cost of Delay Curves and Classes of Service

In today's episode we discuss the concept of "cost of delay", and explore the fact that cost of delay does not necessarily follow a linear path. When cost of delay has a cliff, or an exponential curve, how do you weigh one opportunity versus another? 🙏 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: UNBLOCKED https://getunblocked.com If you would rather spend your time coding instead of digging for answers or dealing with questions from colleagues, give Unblocked a try. Unblocked provides helpful and accurate answers to questions about your codebase. Get started at getunblocked.com https://getunblocked.com/. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. https://www.developertea.com/contact 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

24m
Mar 14
Taking Personal Accountability for Systematic Failures

"What actions can I take to get better from here?" This seems like a simple concept, but in practice we often are more interested in protecting our ego. In this episode we try to practice this self-accountability through an exercise. 🙏 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: JAM.DEV https://jam.dev If you’re an engineer and you would rather spend your time writing code than responding to comments in your issue tracker, send your team Jam.dev. Go to jam.dev to get started, it’s free. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. https://www.developertea.com/contact 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

14m
Mar 08
Stat Series: What Statistical Measure Are You Overusing? (And What to Do About It), Part Two

In this episode we continue our discussion about the most overused statistical measurement. We'll talk about a few more counterintuitive properties of the average, and how you might be underserving your colleagues as a result of thinking in averages. 🙏 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: NEO4J https://neo4j.com/developer?&utm_campaign=GDB&utm_content=AMS-SrDev-ABM-Evergreen%5B%E2%80%A6%5DvHub1--&utm_medium=Audio&utm_source=Developertea&utm_justglobal= Is your code getting dragged down by endless JOINs and long query times? Try simplifying the complexity with graphs! With Neo4j, you can code in your favorite programming language and against any driver. See what graphs can do for you at Neo4j.com/developer https://neo4j.com/developer?&utm_campaign=GDB&utm_content=AMS-SrDev-ABM-Evergreen%5B%E2%80%A6%5DvHub1--&utm_medium=Audio&utm_source=Developertea&utm_justglobal= 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. https://www.developertea.com/contact 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

18m
Mar 06
Stat Series: What Statistical Measure Are You Overusing? (And What to Do About It), Part One

On average, you're probably overusing this specific type of statistic. In today's episode, we discuss the king of all misleading numbers: averages! There's so much to talk about with averages that we're splitting this into two parts. Disclaimer: I am not a mathematician. But we will talk about some of the interesting properties of averages and why they are so addictive to use for humans, but more practically what counterintuitive ways we might be using them incorrectly. If you're using your sprint velocity to forecast work, this episode is for you! 🙏 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: JAM.DEV https://jam.dev If you’re an engineer and you would rather spend your time writing code than responding to comments in your issue tracker, send your team Jam.dev. Go to jam.dev to get started, it’s free. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. https://www.developertea.com/contact 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

18m
Mar 01
Treat Your Time as A Product You Own

Today we explore the idea of treating your time as a product. Start with a wishlist: what do you wish was true about your week? What are your "if-only" statements? Next, put on your product owner hat. How would you improve the situation, if you knew the "consumer"'s requests? This exercise should provide unique insight and a new lens to view your time and agency through. 🙏 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: UNBLOCKED https://getunblocked.com If you would rather spend your time coding instead of digging for answers or dealing with questions from colleagues, give Unblocked a try. Unblocked provides helpful and accurate answers to questions about your codebase. Get started at getunblocked.com https://getunblocked.com/. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. https://www.developertea.com/contact 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

11m
Feb 28
Von Restorff Isolation Effect and a Backfiring of Process

The Von Restorff effect says we remember things that stand out. This is probably mostly intuitive - "that stood out to me" is a common colloquialism. But what isn't intuitive is the implied downside of uniformity, which is often the product of process. In other words, if your process creates perfect uniformity, elevating any one thing, say, in priority, is going to be exceedingly difficult. Additionally, if your "escalation" process is overused, it will once again violate the point of the escalation in the first place. "If everything is urgent, nothing is urgent." 🙏 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: JAM.DEV https://jam.dev If you’re an engineer and you would rather spend your time writing code than responding to comments in your issue tracker, send your team Jam.dev. Go to jam.dev to get started, it’s free. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. https://www.developertea.com/contact 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

13m
Feb 25
Perform a Career Premortem

In today's episode, we do a journaling exercise to provide a new lens on developing your own career roadmap. We're going to practice the power of hindsight, finding our wiser selves, and ultimately looking forward and backward...at the same time. It sounds a little odd, but it's all based in solid cognitive science. If you have a notoriously hard time figuring out your career path, I'd invite you to participate! 🙏 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: NEO4J https://neo4j.com/developer?utm_source=developer_tea&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=developer_tea Is your code getting dragged down by endless JOINs and long query times? Try simplifying the complexity with graphs! With Neo4j, you can code in your favorite programming language and against any driver. See what graphs can do for you at Neo4j.com/developer 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. https://www.developertea.com/contact 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

15m
Feb 22
Delegation, Ownership, Responsibility, and Agency

As you grow your career, you will continuously lean on delegation to scale your efforts and focus on the most important things. True delegation requires ownership, and ownership can be thought of in two critical parts: agency and responsibility. In today's episode, we discuss the fool's errand of delegating only one or the other of these parts. 🙏 TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: JAM.DEV https://jam.dev If you’re an engineer and you would rather spend your time writing code than responding to comments in your issue tracker, send your team Jam.dev. Go to jam.dev to get started, it’s free. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. https://www.developertea.com/contact 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

16m
Feb 16
Apply Little's Law To What You Can Control

Little's Law explains, in a given queuing system, what the relationships of throughput within that system are. We can garner insights both for our work, and for our own lives, by recognizing how these relationships work and what we can do to utilize them. In this episode, we talk about when it is useful to use Little's law to your advantage. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

12m
Feb 03
Finding Leverage by Escaping Functional Fixedness

Finding leverage is difficult to do, but a lot of the reason for this is that we allow ourselves to fall into well-traveled cognitive pathways. If we reject the solution domain-set that comes to mind immediately, we may be able to consider options for solutions we had never considered. This larger solution set may also include a high-leverage option we had previously ignored. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

12m
Jan 26
Is it Actually Important to Question Assumptions?

In today's episode, we discuss turtles, resolutions, and why your beliefs and what you see as fact is probably worth questioning anyway. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

9m
Jan 16
9 Years - Persistence by Reducing Expectation

TODAY MARKS 9 YEARS OF DEVELOPER TEA. Thank you all for your support, and your friendship. I wish you all well on your journey, and may you find clarity, perspective, and purpose. (Don't worry, we aren't going anywhere!) 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

18m
Jan 05
Good Plans, Bad Plans, and Road Trips

What characterizes good plans from bad ones? And how can you make your plans better on average? In this episode we discuss how to better organize your intentions and processes to yield better plans. 🎙 SPONSOR Today's episode is sponsored by Miro https://miro.com/podcast! Miro provides the creative freedom, collaboration, and integration you need to get your team moving in the same direction. I use it nearly every day, it's become an indispensable part of my tool kit as an engineering manager, and I think you'll love it. Plus, you get your first three boards totally free! Go to miro.com/podcast https://miro.com/podcast to get started for free today! 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

19m
Dec 15, 2023
Negative and Positive Lollapalooza Effects

The "lollapalooza" effect (coined by Charlie Munger) occurs when multiple other effects have a compounded outcome that tends to create an extreme situation. In this episode, we discuss lollapalooza effects and how you might fall victim to them, and more importantly, how you can use them to your advantage. 🎙 SPONSOR Today's episode is sponsored by Miro https://miro.com/podcast! Miro provides the creative freedom, collaboration, and integration you need to get your team moving in the same direction. I use it nearly every day, it's become an indispensable part of my tool kit as an engineering manager, and I think you'll love it. Plus, you get your first three boards totally free! Go to miro.com/podcast https://miro.com/podcast to get started for free today! 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

22m
Dec 09, 2023
Fresh Eyes - How Anchoring Bias, Bandwagon Effect, Status Quo Bias, and Uniqueness Bias Interact When Joining New Groups

When you are newly joining a team, you have a huge opportunity to do something that no one on the team has: to find your "weathervane." The pressure pushing against you to adopt the beliefs of the team you are joining. What you do with it is one huge way a team can improve, or otherwise, stay the same. 🎙 SPONSOR Today's episode is sponsored by Miro https://miro.com/podcast! Miro provides the creative freedom, collaboration, and integration you need to get your team moving in the same direction. I use it nearly every day, it's become an indispensable part of my tool kit as an engineering manager, and I think you'll love it. Plus, you get your first three boards totally free! Go to miro.com/podcast https://miro.com/podcast to get started for free today! 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

16m
Dec 01, 2023
The Dark Side of Optimism Bias

Most people believe good things will happen by default. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but there's a downside to this endless optimism. You cannot will good things to happen, and when you don't prepare for adverse events, you won't be ready when they inevitably occur. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

14m
Nov 27, 2023
Backlog Psychology - Breaking Out of the Habit Trap

Your team's process for managing a backlog is probably growing stale because you are running on habit rather than procedure. Break out of procedure and remind yourself why you have a process to begin with: orient yourself to the outcomes! 🎙 SPONSOR Today's episode is sponsored by Miro https://miro.com/podcast! Miro provides the creative freedom, collaboration, and integration you need to get your team moving in the same direction. I use it nearly every day, it's become an indispensable part of my tool kit as an engineering manager, and I think you'll love it. Plus, you get your first three boards totally free! Go to miro.com/podcast https://miro.com/podcast to get started for free today! 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

12m
Nov 09, 2023
Availability Heuristic and Substituting Hard Questions

What is it about our present situation that changes our perspective? In today's episode we talk about the availability bias and why our present reality looms so large in our decisionmaking. 🎙 SPONSOR Today's episode is sponsored by Miro https://miro.com/podcast! Miro provides the creative freedom, collaboration, and integration you need to get your team moving in the same direction. I use it nearly every day, it's become an indispensable part of my tool kit as an engineering manager, and I think you'll love it. Plus, you get your first three boards totally free! Go to miro.com/podcast https://miro.com/podcast to get started for free today! 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

17m
Nov 03, 2023
Spend Your Time Intentionally Through Expectation Mapping

What do you expect of yourself? Are you spending your time in ways that align with those expectations? In this episode, I provide you a simple framework as a starting lens for getting a better idea of how you are spending your time in relation to who cares the most about those investments. You'll walk away with a new lens on how to evaluate your most precious resource: time. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

14m
Oct 26, 2023
What is the Real Question? How To Be An Exceptional Listener

Almost every conversation you have will start with a question. Have you stopped to listen closely? Questions are extremely meaningful and deeply human. Paying close attention to questions is a skill that will put you head and shoulders above the average engineer or manager. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

9m
Oct 21, 2023
Backlog Psychology - Fix Your Broken Expectations

How often does reality match your expectations exactly? Sure, you may guess in the ball park, but usually there are errors in our expectations. In today's episode, I talk about a simple shift in thinking that will help improve your expectations for your work. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

8m
Oct 12, 2023
Backlog Psychology - Practice Requires Rhythmic Predictability

In this episode we continue a little mini-series called "Backlog psychology." How do you get better at anything? (Hopefully you said "practice" almost instinctively.) What does good practice look like? Your team has an opportunity to practice every meeting and every day. But if your days look different from one to the next, how will you ever have the opportunity to actually do that practice? 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

8m
Oct 03, 2023
Backlog Psychology - Hyperbolic Discounting, Tech Debt, and Hacking Your Habits

In this episode we continue the mini-series "Backlog psychology." Would you rather have $5 now or $50 next week? The answer to this question, though it seems logically obvious which is better, does not always produce the same response. The required incentive to convince someone to wait tends to follow an exponential curve upward. This is not just true with money, but for any benefit and incentive: monetary, social, emotional, physical, etc. What does this mean for our backlogs? What about our daily habits? 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

16m
Sep 21, 2023
Backlog Psychology - The Ziegarnik Effect - Why Limiting Work In Progress Protects Your Cognitive Load

In this episode we kick off a little mini-series called "Backlog psychology." You've heard you should "limit your work in progress" - why? What makes more work in progress more difficult to handle? Cognitive load isn't just about multi-tasking in the moment - it's also about limiting your open tasks. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

5m
Sep 17, 2023
Two Tips for Better Retros - Add Specificity, Respect Uncertainty

Your retros may feel like deadends where complaints go to die. If you're running retros and treating it only as an avenue for emotional support rather than continuous improvement, today's episode is for you. Retros are for improving iteratively over time. That can only happen if your outcomes are aligned to that iterative mindset. Two simple adjustments can help drive that improvement. 📮 ASK A QUESTION If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 JOIN THE DISCORD https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 LEAVE A REVIEW If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

9m
Sep 05, 2023
One Big Step Versus A Small Random Step

Count the cost of learning. When you choose a path towards a goal, it's absolutely critical to optimize for the cost of learning. Often, with software, it is easier to learn by a series of smaller steps, even if they start out as random, rather than take on the major risk of a large step possibly going the wrong direction. This isn't always true; sometimes, the cost of learning is *greater* with small steps. Determining which is true in your situation can make or break your plans. ## 📮 Ask a Question If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. ## 📮 Join the [Discord](https://developertea.com/discord%5D(https://developertea.com/discord)) If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting [https://developertea.com/discord](https://developertea.com/discord) today! ## 🧡 Leave a Review If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and [leave a review](https://ratethispodcast.com/devtea)! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

13m
Aug 27, 2023