• $20

Metawork -vs- Yak Shaving

  • Course
  • 14 Lessons

When is it appropriate to devote time and energy to building tooling, automation and other forms of metawork? Software engineers love automating things, but a lot of metawork is just a form of procrastination. Learn how to make sure you're always devoting your time and effort to the most important work.

Contents

Metawork as a Strategy

Types of metawork and why it matters
It is a rare problem?
Are there multiple legitimate solutions?
What do people learn by doing it?
Closer look: The trouble with abstractions and expertise
Weighing the value of metawork
Bonus: xkcd's "Is It Worth the Time?"
Bonus: The Ironies of Automation

Avoiding Dysfunctional Metawork

Metawork as procrastination
Intro to fear ladders
Building a fear ladder
Closer look: Who is allowed to ask for help?
Extra: Bike shedding!
Fear Ladder.pdf