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I started Developer Tea in 2015 to help engineers find clarity, perspective, and purpose in regular short bursts of high-value content.

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When Pressure Turns To Poison

Stress often comes from pressure. When we experience pressure, we usually respond by trying to relieve it - often to the detriment of our work. In today's episode, we talk about the dangers of pressure, and some strategies to employ in the face of pressure.

Published: 11/11/2021
Length: ~15m
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Less Confidence, More Bravery

Confidence is often used as an artificial bluff, to help us feel less dread of failure. But this is problematic; when we put blinders on, we don't prepare adequately, often leading to blame-shifting and other techniques to maintain an inflated sense of confidence. Instead, choose bravery - the willingness to act in the face of uncertainty.

Published: 11/8/2021
Length: ~9m
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Habits, Languages, Processes, and Other Behavior Engines

What do you want to change? The things you do repeatedly have the most impact on your life. Focus on the systems that produce repeated behaviors. We talk about these as "engines" of behavior in today's episode, and help you figure out which ones to focus on the most.

Published: 11/2/2021
Length: ~19m
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Mindful Job Search: Myths and Psychology of Interviewing

We continue talking about conducting a mindful job search in today's episode. The truth is, that next application you put in is probably not going to end in an accepted offer. Whether by your decision or theirs, most job applications go nowhere. In this episode we'll talk about how to deal with this reality, as well as some other myths of interviewing.

Published: 10/27/2021
Length: ~18m
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Mindful Job Search: Is it really time for me to quit my job?

If you've ever felt bad about looking for a job, or you're wondering if now is the right time because a bunch of coworkers or friends are on the move, this episode is for you. We talk about approaching making a career change decision mindfully, and considering how it will affect your internal happiness.

Published: 10/25/2021
Length: ~22m
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Can You Really Pick the Right Tool for Every Job?

Pick the right tool for the job. But who is picking? What tools can they choose from? And what is the actual job, anyway? This advice is important because it gives you a starting framework to answer some of the most important clarifying questions in any task of significance.

Published: 10/20/2021
Length: ~15m
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A Statistical Case for Iteration Over Perfect Preparation

You are much more likely to succeed with iteration than you are with a perfect first attempt. This is purely a function of probability, and is even more supported by the idea of progressive improvement. When you can iterate, it is a better route to higher confidence of success than perfect preparation.

Published: 10/18/2021
Length: ~16m
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Avoid Unnecessary Prediction

When you have to predict, you're likely to have error in your prediction. Sometimes that error is easily handled - other times, it can be catastrophic in effect. The next time you have the urge to predict into the future, ask yourself - what benefit do you gain from predicting this now? Can you avoid unnecessary prediction all together with a different route?

Published: 10/15/2021
Length: ~17m
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Give Random a Chance

Random choice may actually be your best bet. At the very least, starting with random is a good exercise in self control, and will help reveal information more easily than intuitive guessing might. Give random a chance!

Published: 10/13/2021
Length: ~13m
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Two Illusions of Agreement

It's easy to believe that everyone you get along with agrees with you about anything and everything. The truth is harder to confront, but often, this illusion can cause problems - especially when you actually want diverse perspectives. In this episode, we talk about two types of illusion of agreement, and how you might combat them.

Published: 10/7/2021
Length: ~17m
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Limit Your Options By Limiting Your Obligations

The number of things you have to choose to do in a day is constantly being fought over. Your calendar, if it's like most calendars, has very little to do with how you *want* to spend your time. Limit your options. Focus on fewer things. Eliminate your obligations.

Published: 10/4/2021
Length: ~13m
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Feature Exploitation

When we understand the features and boundaries of any object, we can do more with that object based on those constraints. This doesn't just apply to code - it applies to our lives in meaningful ways, and acts as a heuristic and a powerful model for thinking.

Published: 9/29/2021
Length: ~16m
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How Averages Can Trick You and Obscure the Truth

Averages can trick you into thinking a generalized idea about a complex set of data. This kind of compression happens not only with averages but any other process that summarizes information. Ask yourself: What am I missing in this story?

Published: 9/27/2021
Length: ~21m
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Dominik Zane, Founder of Around - Part Two

In today's episode, I have a discussion about product development and counter-intuitive decisions Dom had to make along the way in making Around (around.co). This is part two of the interview - make sure you go back and listen to the first part as well!

Published: 9/22/2021
Length: ~27m
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Dominik Zane, Founder of Around - Part One

In today's episode, I have a discussion about product development and counter-intuitive decisions Dom had to make along the way in making Around.

Published: 9/20/2021
Length: ~28m
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Inner and Outer Layers of Context

Context is critical, but what does that mean? What are the parts of context you should care about? In this episode, we talk specifically about temporal context, and how you can think about context in terms of "inner" and "outer" layers.

Published: 9/16/2021
Length: ~19m
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Finding the Good in the Negative - Ask, "what do I do about this?"

"What do I do about this?" This question is one that can trigger action, even in a moment of pain. When we make a clear decision about how we are going to react to our situation, we immediately change the narrative from "this is happening to me" to "this is what I'm choosing to do." This agency is critical to processing and managing difficult situations, and it will change how we relate to our experiences for the better.

Published: 9/13/2021
Length: ~17m
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Two Razors for More Efficient Decision-making

If you can make better decisions, every other effort you put forth will benefit. One common error made when making decisions is overtuning on perfection. In today's episode, we'll talk about two razors that help combat this tendency.

Published: 9/9/2021
Length: ~14m
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Use Your Expectations As a Tool

Expectations can cause pain, but they can also be useful. An expectation should be a hypothesis. Where we go wrong is when we mix our expectations with our hopes or fears.

Published: 9/6/2021
Length: ~14m
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Flexibility is a Resource to Gather When You Least Need It

Flexibility is not something you conjure in a moment of need. It is something that is developed and gathered like a resource when you least require it.

Published: 9/2/2021
Length: ~11m
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Developer Tea was a part of Spec and is hosted by Jonathan Cutrell, engineering manager at Guild Education.