I’ve just realized a couple of weeks have passed since I last wrote here. The whole quarantine situation has loosened up a bit so there’s been more time to go out and get semi-essential shopping done. On the other hand, even as the city starts bustling again, I’ve just started getting in the groove with my home routine and finding a lot of more productive ways to spend my time and learning new things as I go along.
I just wanted to check in to share updates on what I’ve been up to these days (and why I’m not writing as much). There will be some plugging of a few projects that I’ve been working on, so do bear with me.
Learning to code
I’ve touched on this a bit in my last article on the “coder’s rush”. I’ve recently been doing a lot more coding. As you might know, I have a small software startup I’ve been working with for a couple of years called ATeam. One of our projects, which I talk about in this article on dealing with uncertainty, is a software system for a small local business here in the city.
While the bulk of the work has already been done by our development team, there are small improvements and bugs that need to be worked on. The primary developer has been too busy to work on it recently so the first thought was to hire someone else for the job. Then again, I also realized it was an opportunity for me to do something I haven’t done in a while – relearn to code.
The program is written mostly in Javascript (NodeJS and Angular), something I have absolutely no experience in. Proud to say, I have so far been able to learn enough to make minor fixes and updates to the system. Aside from being able to deliver something to a customer, I personally feel the real success here is actually getting in touch with code again and in a space that’s been, for the longest time, unfamiliar to me.
Now to make sure I don’t get too caught up in that coder’s rush…
Learning Management Systems
One of the things we’re also looking at at the moment is potential business in the learning management space. This is something that’s obviously become more important in the “new normal”, or at the very least, something that a lot of learning institutions have realized they need to start investing in.
While we haven’t been able to close any deals in this area yet, it’s been interesting to see the level of interest people are expressing. We’ve sent out several proposals and are looking forward to validating our assumptions about this space in the next few weeks.
Getting in shape
Sparing the details, one of the goals I set for myself at the start of this year was to get in better shape. This is something I’ve neglected to do for a long time, not just due to other priorities but, frankly, because I wasn’t as motivated to do so. I started early this year with a quick morning jog, as I wrote about here. With the quarantine, that’s been a lot more impractical to do.
Fortunately, I found this app called the “30 Day Fitness Challenge” which has programs of varying difficulty designed to be done at home with almost no equipment needed. It’s been a great help in the progress I’ve been making.
With all the plans that have been put in the back burner due to the COVID situation, getting in shape was one of the goals I set that’s possibly even more achievable in the circumstances, what with all the time at home. As a leader, I also realize that I can only be effective in motivating others if I learn more about what it takes to motivate myself.
That’s it for this update. There are a few things I’ve actually been looking forward to writing about and, hopefully, that should be coming in the next few weeks. In the meantime, stay safe and keep surviving!
How have you been doing through this pandemic? Is there anything you’ve learned about yourself or others so far? Drop me a line in the comments and do let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to write about next.
Dexter is an engineering manager at Synacy, a co-founder of ATeam Business Software Solutions, and founder of TechManagement.Life. He loves to share his experiences and thoughts on managing software teams and running businesses.