I sat next to one of the smartest, most successful software engineers in the country for over 10 years.
Here's what I learned.
Fast is 10 times better than good.
9 out of 10 times, a "good enough" solution is all you need to unlock time, money, and attention.
Focus relentlessly on being first. Then take the time to be right.
Fast, then right.
Ship more frequently.
The faster you show your work to your users, the faster you'll hear their feedback, you'll adapt, and you'll ship again.
A question you should ask every day:
What can I do to ship this one day before planned?
Technical debt is a good thing.
Everyone hates technical debt. I think they don't know how to take advantage of it.
When used appropriately, technical debt means working on what truly matters and deferring anything that can wait.
No debt ⟶ You waited too long.
Ask, don't think.
People burn their time every day instead of asking for help.
You don't get extra points for working harder, especially when a little help will make you faster.
Time is your most valuable resource. Don't waste it.