So if you’re anything like me - anxious AF, and always needing to do something to feel like you’re making progress - then the idea of doing less to do more, not only doesnt make sense, but also smells of BS guru advice

So get ready to pay me $99 for this amazing advice… total value 999$…

Anyway, back to the point - getting more done, better, is an important priority of mine

So when I watched this youtube video, i went down a productivity rabbit hole!

And basically I learned about this new principle/law - “The Zeigarnik Effect”

And thats what we’re going to be talking about today

Btw you had best be subscribed to ThePrimeTime - awesome dev and content creator - i binge his shit all the time

JOBS

This one is so obvious i’ve actually forgotten to mention it

Honestly, i know i send out a lot of job boards, but this one is the OG and its kinda the best one still in a way

INTERVIEWS

In the spirit of getting more things done

You gotta talk about what you’ve accomplished, why you solved it the way you did and how it’s benefited the business. This will:

• Highlight your skills

• Showcase your problem-solving abilities

• Communicate that you understand business

I recently interviewed some mobile developers for a project we might get (it’s on pause, an SLA currently stops our client from subcontracting work to us, it’s a pain, but we might overcome it)

Anyway, during these interviews, these guys had such great CVs, but such poor stories - it was like the person I read about, is not the same person talking to me. I really had to work to extract the information I needed, and it left me hesistant to recommend them to my client

So most of them, I didn’t. I didnt get the confidence I needed to make me trust them - now assuming they are great developers, this leaves me with missing out on awesome people to work with, and it leaves them with missing a good opportunity on a brand new, greenfield project.

If they’re bad devs, well, I dodged a bullet, but im not certain I dodged it because im Neo from the Matrix and I can see them, or its because they have no accuracy, so they missed the shot.

CAREER

This is what you’re here for

HOW DO WE GET MORE OUT OF DOING LESS?

The TLDR - completing tasks uses less of your brain, incompleted tasks are more remembered, and therefore take up headspace and capacity

Think of it this way - you are a CPU, and the more tasks you have that are no completed, the more of your processing power you are using in holding them open.

The more tasks you complete, the less tasks are left open running, and the more of your CPU power you can allocate towards tasks

Btw, companies use the Zeigarnik Effect all the time - you know that progress bar you see, or completion rates? That’s all highjacking your brains need to complete tasks and want to see them completed.

So how are you going to take advantage of this?

1. Create a list of tasks you need to complete

2. If its a long list, prioritize it

3. If its a large action item, create sub-tasks you can check off

4. If its unclear, its going to take up headspace and CPU, clarify it

5. If you do want to remember something? don’t put it clearly on the list

That last part is important, basically, uncompleted tasks are more remembered, so if you want it to take headspace, keep it open, don’t complete it.

So what have I done about this? I create to-do lists, now mostly on Microsoft To Do

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Use Substack

I’ve been down this AI rabbit hole, and the cleanest and easiest run down this hole, hasnt been Twitter, its godforsaken, or Youtube, too many content creators peddling BS, Reddit and Substack have been amazing

Here’s a list for you to take a look

• Substack - Kamil, Ruben and a16z

• Youtube - ThePrimeTime and Theo

• Reddit - rChatGPTCoding and rArtificialIntelligence

When you start the above, let the algorithm take you down the rabbit hole and enjoy

THATS A WRAP

I know I’ve said im back like twice already haha - once was after some much deserved rest and another after like 3 weeks of not writing.

Its not easy doing this stuff you know :)) but honestly, i missed this

I missed sitting by my macbook pro m1 (13inch) - lying on the couch, and having my fingers go at it for 30-40 minutes

ANY HOW!

Let me know if you like this and as usual:

1. LinkedIn - I’m always hiring - but only 2 to 4 people a month - connect with me on and send me your CV - currently, I only hire people with 7 or more years of experience - if you have less, but are EXCEPTIONAL, i’ll make exceptions

2. Youtube - i’m always making content to help you out, subscribe and binge

3. Free Career Advice - i’m going to be giving away CV feedback for early subscribers for free, I usually charge $100 for a resume roast - i’ll make a recording and send you feedback - just reply back to this email with your CV - its totally free for first 10 people