What are the top 3 tools that help you get your work done?

Brooke Sargent — Mon, 02 Sep 2019 11:34:24 +0000

As devs, we all have tools that help us get our day to day to work done. If you had to name your top 3 productivity tools, not counting code editors or terminals, what would you choose?

Mine would be:

Notion - I'd love to write a post in the future showing my Notion setup. I'm such a fan! I love the customizability of this note taking app. It makes it easy for me to organize my notes in a way that makes sense to me and it's aesthetically pleasing. I use it both for work life and personal life.
Brain.fm - I've started using this service recently and it has made such a difference. In an open office, it can sometimes be hard to sit down and focus in on the code with everything else going on around me. If I sit down with my noise cancelling headphones and Brain.fm, I'm usually able to get focused in 10-15 min.
GoodReads - GoodReads helps keep me accountable and stay on track with my reading, both personal and professional. I can track and prioritize books I want to read, split them into different lists, and see what my friends and co-workers are reading. Reading is fundamental to learning and growing so I'm glad to have a tool that helps keep it top of mind for me.

I can't wait to hear what yours are!

Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable - Conference Edition

Brooke Sargent — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 01:43:10 +0000

Get comfortable being uncomfortable is a phrase I've heard often as a software engineer. Generally it's been applied to learning new programming languages and concepts. If you're comfortable in the space of not knowing something, it makes it a lot easier to learn and grow.

I just got back from Abstractions II in Pittsburgh, PA and over the past week I've thought a lot about how the same advice is just as important at tech conferences. I'm an extremely introverted person. Striking up conversations with people I don't know can certainly be a challenge. But each time I'm at a conference, I make a conscious effort to push myself outside of my comfort zone. Every time I do this, I grow as a person, learn new things, and make new friends. I've never regretted it once. I think it's important to try to engage and participate in the conference to get the most out of it rather than shuffling from talk to talk only keeping to yourself.

Here are five tips I have for making the most out of a tech conference, especially as an introvert:

1. Prepare a few conversation starters
Have a couple conversation starters in mind for times when you run into a new person. I love to ask "What was your favorite talk today?" It gives some insight into what topics the person is interested in and gives a jumping off point for further conversation. You could also ask things like "What's your favorite project you've worked on?" or "What are some hobbies you have outside of programming?"

2. Use Twitter and Slack
It can be much easier to make plans to hang out with new people online than it is in person. Many conferences have Slack groups and Twitter hashtags that can be used to connect with fellow conference goers. You can use these channels to make dinner plans or find people with common interests.

3. The Pac-Man Rule!
If you find yourself in a group conversation, instead of standing in a closed circle, leave the circle partially open in a Pac-Man shape. This makes your group seem more open to having others join you. This is something to look out for as well if you're trying to join a conversation.

4. Chat with the speakers
Many speakers will stick around their session a little afterwards to take questions or discuss their talk topic further. If there are any talks you're particularly excited about and the speaker is open to it, let them know how much you enjoyed their talk and chat with them a bit! They'll be happy to hear their talk resonated with you.

5. Take breaks
There's a lot going on at conferences! So much information to take in and so many new people to meet. But if you're go, go, go the whole time, you will quickly get burned out and exhausted. If your brain feels like it can't soak up anymore information, don't feel bad about taking a break in a quiet area or going back to your hotel for a nap.

It may seem overwhelming to put yourself out there like this, but the next time you attend a conference, set a goal for yourself to do something outside your comfort zone at least once. You never know who you'll meet, what you'll learn, or how you'll grow.

DEV Community: Brooke Sargent

What are the top 3 tools that help you get your work done?

Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable - Conference Edition