Dr. Drang has been reading my thoughts, or watching me at work, or something. He writes a concise explanation of why I do what I do “off job description” at my day job.
There’s working hard and there’s working smart. I prefer the latter. Sometimes it looks like I’m just doing whatever the hell I please and getting away with it, until my efforts save the observer a week of annoying, drudgery-filled, repetitive work. And then it’s ok. And I always get away with it (with a thank-you, to boot!)
I wrote a straightforward database application a while back that, when executed at our Memphis facility, saved nearly 100,000 individual, manual database edits.
Sometimes an app takes longer to create and test than it would to do the work manually, but then there’s Dr. Drang’s reason number 5. I keep that in mind, along with reason number 2, when I’m trying to descend into code-land.
It’s a short trip. I know I’ve arrived when I can see the logic flow in my head. Absolute silence helps get me there, which is why I often work from home when I code.
It’s nice, now and then, to come across a piece that perfectly captures a cherished mindset. Drang wrote one, today.
A Random Stroll 