improvements-1

beneggerscom/ssg/input_files/markdown.py

@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ def content_as_html(self) -> str:
 
     def _set_metadata_item(self, key: str, value: str):
         if key == "title":
-            self.title = value.title()
+            self.title = value
         elif key == "date":
             self.date = value
         elif key == "layout":

pages/about.md

@@ -6,4 +6,4 @@ nav: 2
 
 Hi. My name is Ben Eggers. I work as a software engineer and am currently between jobs. I do other things, too.
 
-I use this website to clarify my thoughts about how to be an effective engineer. That means that if you know me outside of work, you'll probably find it horrifically boring.
+I use this website to clarify my thoughts about how to be a more effective engineer.

pages/posts/improvements-1.md

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+---
+title: Things I'm Working On Volume 1
+date: 2024-06-14
+---
+These are the top things I'm currently working on as an engineer. This list is specifically oriented towards the new role I'm starting in a month.
+
+This list is structured similar to OKRs: each top-line item represents an overall trait or behavior I would like to have and sub-bullets are concrete ways to accomplish them.
+
+- **Be more strategic with engineering resources, including myself**. I tend to fall into projects which seem interesting or under-owned. It's served me well thus far but as I move into more leadership-shaped IC work I need to be more careful with what I support and how I support it.
+	- Spend 50% of my time on tasks directly attributable to top-level company goals.
+	- Spend at least 30% of my time weekly on important but not urgent (i.e. foundation) work.
+	- Choose up to three things and beat the drum on those things incessantly. Examples could be test flakiness, deployment speed, MTTR, new hire ramp-up. I'll know I'm succeeding if people come to me about those things and start the conversation with, "I think I already know what you're going to say, but..."
+- **Stop waiting for permission**. When I see problems with a project, team, or org, my default response is to find an "adult" in the room and make noise at them about it. This worked well when I was a junior engineer ("proactively giving feedback") and it worked _okay_ when I was a senior engineer; now that I'm a staff engineer it absolutely won't cut it.
+	- Weekly: write down work which needs to happen but nobody is doing. Cull the list to problems which I can solve and are worth solving. Talk to my manager and peers about the list.
+	- For each problem on the list, ask, "What could I do to help alleviate this?" Instead of finding reasons why I'm not the right person.
+- **Push back on project scope -- focus on incremental wins**. This is related to the first bullet point. People outside of a specific problem domain tend to underestimate work within that domain. This directly causes those (very smart and well-meaning!) people to ask for pie-in-the-sky projects. I want to be better about setting realistic expectations and timelines.
+	- De-risk new large efforts by writing down all the work I see; turn unknown unknowns into known unknowns. Socialize the roadmap to get everyone on the same page about the project.
+	- Find ways to deliver incremental wins which fit the broader narrative. In other words, find digestible pieces of the grand vision which matter _now_ and focus on those.
+- **Invest in my continued growth and education**. I've never fully used conference or education budgets. I want to keep learning and growing as an engineer; spending time with other ICs working on similar problems will be hugely helpful.
+	- Go to at least one conference per year, ideally two.
+	- Use my entire education budget at whatever cadence it refreshes.
+	- Spend at least 2 work hours per week consuming work-related media: papers, talks, blog posts, etc.

styles/post-list.css

@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
     display: flex;
     justify-content: center;
     align-items: center;
-    padding-left: 0;
     flex-direction: column;
 }
 

styles/typography.css

@@ -104,8 +104,8 @@ a.active {
 
 ul {
     margin: 0 auto 1.25rem auto;
-    padding-left: 3rem;
-    padding-right: 3rem;
+    padding-left: 2rem;
+    padding-right: 2rem;
     max-width: 55ch;
 }