I PUBLISH, THEREFORE I AM

I see hoardings on the streets, and on construction sites, that reads, WORK IN PROGRESS. Does that mean actual work is getting done; of course, it means people are working but, the point they have broadcasted with their hoarding is that they are working, they never say anything about when is it going to complete . Let’s say, a hoarding says, WORK IN PROGRESS – EXPECTED TO FINISH ON 20-10-2011, that would make total sense . I know, I’m being unrealistic and stupid, fine!...but I am still to make my point. What I am really getting at is why do we have so much of work in progress , it’s time we understood that work in progress in not real progress . If you were expected to finish 10 tasks by tomorrow , and you are done with 90% in all the 10 tasks but have not finished even one, then you have all the 10 tasks under WORK IN PROGRESS, in a way, you have not done anything so far. On the other hand, if you did 5 tasks fully and didn't even start with the other 5, then you have...

I am a hard-core practitioner of Agile, nah! I am just kidding ;-). I am a rookie who started working on an AGILE project . But mind it! I am great at hindsight, I thought AGILE process is exactly what it sounded like, flexible and quick. Guess what! I was bang on, it is exactly that. Let’s talk a little geek for some time, we implement AGILE because our customers want substantial and visible results incrementally, in waterfall model , we take up a project and then deliver a product by the end of an year. With Agile, we keep delivering functionalities in increments. Our customers know what the product is like, what is the kind of development that’s happening, and what estimates are erroneous and what needs to changed or tweaked. Apply this to your day to day work, what if your boss comes and tells you that ’ you didn't perform well last year and that’s exactly why you are getting a low increment ’ - wouldn't is psyche you (to me, it would). Likewise, your cus...

There are millions of companies who recruit mediocre candidates because these guys are expected to stay put and get the job done as instructed . Your mediocrity helps them run the company and bring in stability to their profits, that's exactly why I say, mediocrity is worth it.You gotta do what you gotta do, but for god's sake,  don't crib about your work . There are a lot of companies that take up work that is low on learning and really high on manual-repetitive-work. The companies that recruit not-so-mediocre employee makes sure that it outsources non-core work to someone else i.e. some other company. People outsource for two reasons: Certain type of work isn't meant for the knowledge worker, it is something really unimpressive for the employees to take up . So, the company outsources it to some other company.  Sometimes people don't have the kind of expertise that is required to get the job done. So, it's very imperative that they get it done by those w...

Yes, it is extra work, in some cases, collaboration is a full-time work. Some of us (I used to) collaborate thinking it's a part of  a process but, actually it is not a part of any process, it's a process in itself. Just like we have software development effort, software documentation effort, we have something called collaboration effort . This is precisely because, collaboration doesn't just happen, it's not something that can be sidelined and still done in the best possible way, instead collaboration is very much a full-time work. Why do you think we have Coordinators in our office, they are meant to co-ordinate processes . Similarly, there should be someone driving collaboration in a team a.k.a collaborator, preferably the most active worker in the team, else you won't be able to collaborate. So, if your team is unable to collaborate, it's probably because you don't consider it extra work. Consider collaboration extra work, something that ne...

If you are starting something today, and it’s a job that needs you to thrive for months together then don’t overdo it on the first day. You end up overwhelming yourself with work and then your momentum drastically goes down . Don’t do this mistake of overdoing it on the first day, I did it and I know how I got tired of it and eventually left it. It’s a marathon, not a 100 meter race, you start running slowly for the first few kilometers then you speed up and go steadily to finish the race. As they say, consistency is the name of the game… I say , they are god damn right ;-). Let the enthusiasm be in you till the end, finish it one block at a time. We all prepare for something or the other on a daily basis, let’s say, you just joined a gym, you start doing weights, 30 minutes treadmill, 20 minutes cycling and all that on the first day. Guess what! you din't turn up the next day ;-).

The other day, we were playing dumb charades ...yes! I really think there is a good takeaway ;-). It's all about understanding the dumb guy, and about the dumb guy trying to be understood. There is only so much a person can do, but what is really cool about the game is that the opponent team makes total sense out of the dumb guy's body movements (obviously! it's because they know the answer), but the dumb guy's team remains clueless whatsoever, this is why people have  a universal vocabulary for dumb charades , something like, thumbs up means an English movie, and thumbs down means a Hindi movie. This confusion is not just specific to dumb charades, it happens in real life too. When we try to say something, those who know the subject find it really easy to understand and everything looks perfect, but those who are new to the subject get confused. Now that I am a technical writer , I do feel audience analysis is very essential, this brings me to one other thing tha...

Word of mouth is amazing and this kind of marketing is really unforced, its something by choice. I have noticed that a lot of times our word of mouth marketing doesn't work and sometimes it spreads like fire. Why does that happen; it's because sometimes your voice is heard by someone who is just not good at networking, and sometimes your voice is heard and appreciated by someone who is really interested in your idea/product, and genuinely has a bunch of networks to talk to. I've confirmed this very concept in an amazing book The Tipping point (BUY BOOK) . Superb book for anyone who wants to sell his idea or product or anything to that matter, small changes can make a big difference, you just have to know what change to make (who to tell your idea to). Have a wonderful read. PS : you can also check this article on idea recognition .

is a risk you take. The first look is very short and concise, you only scan whatever your eyes can capture in that one second, but with the second look you glean a different meaning altogether, you notice everything precisely - in a through manner, and then you make an opinion about what you just saw . In any ways, the second look is a result of the first look, its you who decides to give the second look. If the second look makes you think that you were about to miss something so damn beautiful, then I'd say the second look made a difference and saved you from a huge loss. But, if your second look makes you think that it was a waste of time, don't worry, like I said, the second look is a risk you take. I am sure the message is directed towards girls (for the masses ;-)), and work (for a very few). I wrote this with the intent of explaining why a second look (anywhere) can make a difference, take a risk , look at what you thought was just some work lying undone, look at that...

not just your cellphone or your iPod, but yourself. It's time to  take a chill pill , you'd realize this only when someone close to us gets affected. It's very common to find a kid not swimming in the pool coz someone in his family had an accident while swimming, and kids who din't get a bike to drive till they are 25, coz their parents had some terrible experience with bikes. You understand the severity only when someone who really matters gets affected, that explains why we still don't we care about global warming . 31st night was a helluva party, too much dance, drinks, driving and fights (just verbal). As usual, next day I had a terrible hangover, and then there were relatives at home and just when they were out, I had to meet someone in some other part of city. Before I know, I gotta sleep and getup early to reach my office. I think it's good if you could just relax and not care about your tight schedule, also, you are responsible for this tigh...

or else you might not get the help you want. It is really a waste to wait for people to refer us to their friends (for help), why? because, for us to get help, all the three parties have to find time. I am the guy who waits waits and waits forever - not any more - till my so called referral a.k.a the middle man gets time to refer me . But, now I have realized that these middle men take a lot of time to get us help and it is far better to just go and approach people our-self. Someone said, god helps only those who help themselves . I was being a give-up candidate, and thinking of the correct approach all the time, time just passed by, and in the end, I had to drop the whole thing coz I couldn't get help. You need to (especially me) seek help for yourself. Apart from a few jerks in the workplace/society/community/forums, all the rest of them will always be willing to help. I just learned from one video in okdork.com which says something very similar, go talk to people, invite ...

Hours you put is not what you are paid for, what matters is the kind of work you get done in whatever number of hours you work. There are plenty of jobs that are instructional as hell, I mean whatever you do, you do it according to the instructions provided- How boring is that. All your life, if all that you did was what someone else told you to or what a manual told you to do, then I'd say, your job sucked big time. For the years to come, make sure you do things without a manual or a freaking tutor ( says the guy who prepares software manuals at work ;-)...ahem, I am a Tech Writer ;-) ). Instructions are important, but they are not rules, they are just suggestions, and a lot of times these suggestions GO wrong . That said, what I suggest is that we should take up work where there is no mode of operation, no particular way of working, and has a lot of room for screw ups improvements. If your job is instructional and all that you do is follow instructions (blindly), then...

What you said - I have worked for a lot of clients, there has not been a single problem with my work. I like challenges and I am always work oriented, I even work on weekends to improve on leading technologies. What I just heard - I have never worked in a team, never had a demanding client, never had tight schedules, never felt like it was too much work, never got any negative feedback coz I dint do anything that challenging, and ya, I don't have a life as I prefer to work on weekends. What you said - I know that technology, I can answer your questions ( Conscience - I actually don't know about it, but lemme just try ) What I just heard - I don't know, I am just trying. I cant accept the fact that I don't know what you just asked. What is my point with all this - usually, what you say is not what I hear . A good lesson for all those ( including...wait!...especially me ) who think that accepting a mistake and not admitting a glaring flaw works in their fa...

One hundred and fifty thousand percent, your work/business effects you in all possible ways a.k.a work is personal ( I did blog about it ). Groupon's founder has something freaky to tell you about friendship ( link - Freaky friendship advice ). Having friends is important. If you have friends, that means you are not insufferable ([Girish] insufferable...is that how you put it;-)) . Make sure you meet the friends of your friends. If you can’t stand any of them, then your friend has poor taste and their validation does you no good ([Girish] Not to forget, you taste just like them) . Move on. My advice: save energy by befriending people that have no other friends. Sorry to say, but that makes no sense to me, I am a fan of your business model , but you cant just apply those to relationships. You say - If your friend is a loner, ditch him/her; C'mon, that's not what friends do. PS: I usually don't blog about what I find stupid ( sometimes I do ), but this t...

I am doing something, even if I don't get anything from it, I realize there is nothing to lose ( only then will I do that ). I am sure, the time spent is not a waste, it's one of the best way forward, if you don't have anything to lose, you have nothing to worry i.e. when you don't have anything, that's why you can do everything . Unknowingly, we do a lot of things like an expert, but, we don't realize we are experts in doing that activity, because we developed that talent without a real need to get anything from it. PS : Forget about the high-profile people saying - A need/goal is very important , no one's denying; but, In a given day, we do a lot of things with no intentions of excelling in it, I just realized that we somehow perfect those things.

You get the drift, don't you. We react When something obvious does not happen. When something we want does not happen. we don't react When something obvious happens. When something we want happens. I just read an article 7 reasons to have lots of money , I don't understand why would people need such an article, isn't is obvious that everyone wants to make money ;-P; If the article were, 7 reason why not to have lots of money , I'd wanna read it to know who the author is - probably some rich guy or some small innocent child who has not seen the real world ;-D. PS : I like self-improvement ( Get the edge - Tony Robbins ), but no more self-improvement jazz for me from now. I'm done with reading my share of articles, the ship has sailed ;-D.

For the kind of work we do, we get interrupted a lot of times, they are not interruptions per se coz they are a part of our job, and unfortunately, we have to delegate time then and there to get it completed (Just keep this thought in mind). There is this thing called metadata in software products/codes, it is information about information (data about data, one at the same). Just the same way, when we do our work, we get interrupted by some confusing meta information in it...say, I am reading an article on investment and I find an instance of SIP or GNP ...even if I knew what GNP stands for, I might not know what GNP actually is. So, I think these meta information interruptions are inevitable; If we don't look up - for the meta -  then and there, we'd never know what that is. Researching the meta is really really important. If you don't look up now, you indefinitely postpone that information from reaching you. Bottom line : Look up - for the meta - then and there,...

Options can confuse you and suggestions can lead to clouded thinking. Your decision is no more yours, like I said - in don't add value to my idea - it's really difficult to not get influenced by things around us, coz nowadays we have all kinds of media - audio, video, messenger - to blur the reality and make it impossible for us to make the right decision (if there is such a thing called right decision). Voice is different from noise , you hear your voice (precious) and the rest which comes from everywhere else in the world is more or less like noise . I don't mean to say it should be my way or the highway all the time, coz if we have great people around us, we should value their opinion and use it to our benefit; what I mean to say is that the final decision is yours and you have to listen to yourself to make the final decision. PS : This is my realization, most of you knew this already ;-)

Met this guy - in the office lift - who started taking sense to me, believe it or not, I don't even know his name, nor does he know mine. He started talking, I got psyched but I said to myself " whats wrong if I just heard him once ". He went on for around 10 minutes, that made me realize that people do all kinds of things which might sound absurd but anyways, they do it coz they believe it's essential (like the guy in the lift said " god wanted us to bump into each other, I think he wanted me to tell you about spirituality "). I can't believe him coz what he said was all news to me. It might or might not be true, but I know for sure that he was more than excited to talk about spirituality to anyone. That's the spirit, don't feel shy...you are entitled to your opinion. After all, the worst that can happen is that the person can tell you that he doesn't have time or give you an awkward stare. What you think of me is none of my busines...

You'd just be asking for more. There is always this limit which makes or breaks your sale (by sale; I mean selling a conversation or an idea). Whatever is that you're selling, you need to make sure that you just tickle the person and let him come after you to get a little more. By this, you don't just make him come after you, but you know for sure that he is genuinely interested in what you're selling, others who just wanna sniff can be filtered through this process. If he is interested, he will come back. If he is interested, he will look for more. Making repetitive sales calls is passe. Don't give information, let him come and find it. Don't provide everything at once, nor do you provide very little information that might not be sufficient to interest the reader. Provide information that can trigger a reader to look for more, just like a movie teaser.

How about you sell this to someone else and then come to me with their feedback, that way I'll feel a lot better (In other words, affiliate marketing). You need to make one good sale to brag about it to the next potential customer. Similarly, when talking or writing about something, if you can give a good reference, then there is nothing like it. People believe you if you back your idea with a reference. It's a fact if you believe in it. Google uses this concept to rank pages online i.e. if other websites talk about your website/web page, you are deemed to be a good source. People might talk crap about you, but still, people take an effort to praise/curse you. If other sites refer you, then you are relevant. The easiest way to make sense - get a reference or a recommendation.