It's something I've been trying to practice for year when someone is in a crisis. Seeing the situation as concentric circles of people around the one affected is a simple and powerful idea. Of course, we're humans and sometimes we'll fail at following this advice. At least that gives a good idea about why we'll likely get offended reactions.

I definitely agree with this. It's all about the grunt work and attention to details. This it's easier to be good at something when you become obsessed.

I think I prefer friction as well. It's not about choosing discomfort all the time, but there's clearly a threshold not to cross. If things get too convenient there's a point where we get disconnected from the human condition indeed. I prefer a fuller and imperfect life.

An excellent piece, I like this kind of thinking. It works in fact as several level in your life.

The title is a bit misleading in a way (and I almost didn't click through for a start). That said, it is an interesting essay dealing with the topics of intelligence, problem solving etc. I'm not sure I agree with everything in it, but that's still good food for thought.

You have to know which battles to pick. If you don't... This article shows well what will happen. And it'll indeed turn into a curse.

Nice piece, aren't we loosing something when we eliminate boredom from our life?

This one is more self-help than I'm usually comfortable with... somehow something rung true to me with it. It's indeed a good reminder that changing habits takes a while. It's an exercise in patience and there are good reasons for it.

Very interesting piece... shows how someone can end up maintaining something essential for decades. This is a lesson for us all.

A good reminder that mental health can be hard to keep in check in our profession. Pay attention to how you feel, anxiety is a sneaky foe. Lots can be done to improve if taken care of early enough.

Interesting outcome from those experiments. Interesting insights coming from the practices the companies put in place. The failures also bring interesting information.

Interesting survey results. This kind of confirm what we already suspected regarding longer work day and the amount of meetings.

Very good points about cultural differences. Indeed some people directly ask and express their needs, others are more waiting and take into account everyone else's needs when asked. Both have pros and cons, it's important to know where you stand.

Clearly the book referenced here picked my interest, I guess I'll try to read it. The cheat sheet proposed here is interesting, not completely sure how I'd act on it in practice though.

Good and reasonable advices... doesn't make them easy to truly apply though. It's likely worth trying to live by them still.

That's a very interesting way to frame it. Two different cultures to drive a conversation, both with their pros and cons. Lots to mull over for me in that short article.

I've witnessed that too many times. Take care people! Stay safe.

Very good point, make sure you know how much you can take and how much you're actually carrying. We're our worst enemy for these things.

Although I disagree with some of the examples she summons, I think she indeed has a point.

Good point, this little wisdom from Kent Beck goes further than just code and refactoring.