03 Feb 2026 #wellness
I can’t remember the last time I stared at the ceiling, wondering “what should I do now?”
Growing up without smartphones or tablets made me a friend of boredom. I lived on a main street of a small city. When bored, I counted passing cars in my front yard. Sometimes, I competed with my uncle and sister. The one who counted more cars of a certain color won. Yellow taxis weren’t allowed.
Years later, with an iPhone, work, and side projects, boredom turned into an enemy. I’ve had to work to bring it back.
What I’m doing to be bored again
The other day, I had so much on my mind that I had to sit and do nothing. That was my wake-up call.
To welcome boredom again:
#1. Less phone time. I’m reducing my phone time. Now my phone is in another room. There are books where I used to put it. And I’m writing this with pen and paper first.
#2. A “do nothing” slot. Apologies for the irony, but I’ve set an alarm in my phone labeled, “Mandalas afternoon.” I used to color mandalas during my lowest emotional season. I need to change that label. It should be “do nothing afternoon” and honor it. Not that coloring mandalas is a bad idea.
#3. Walking outdoors. For my physical and mental health, I go running next to the ocean. I’m planning to buy an analog watch (a classical Casio. Anyone else?) and leave my phone at home or put it inside my bag in silent mode.
#4. An Amish hour. I’ve moved my book reading time to one or two hours before bed, away from screens. One evening, after a coffee with a friend, too much caffeine and late-night writing kept me awake for hours. So no more screens before bed. The next challenge: an Amish afternoon. Or even an Amish day. Why not?! I’ll just need to write my daily post in advance.
02 Feb 2026 #bookwriting
“Is there a next part? Are you covering the next stage after being a good coder?” a friend texted me.
He finished Street-Smart Coding, my first book, and was eager for more. A reminder of a marketing lesson I had forgotten.
The best way to promote your book is by writing another one.
I first heard this surprising strategy on James Altucher’s podcast.
Nicolas Cole, author of The Art and Business of Online Writing, teaches the same strategy.
On his YouTube channel, he advises building a portfolio of books instead of chasing one big launch. When readers finish and enjoy your book, they want more. One single title after a big launch doesn’t meet that need.
That’s what happened to my friend after reading my book. And that’s more encouragement to work on the next one.
01 Feb 2026 #experiments #bookwriting
I’m writing a book backwards.
Technically, it’s a mini-book. I’m turning a hit post into a book.
In the spirit of doing 10,000 experiments and to keep running content experiments, here’s what I’m doing this month:
#1. Repurpose a hit post. I’m turning one of my most read and liked posts into a short book. Over 100 people liked that post. Proof that the idea works. I’m even naming the book after the post.
That’s what the authors of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck and The Psychology of Money did.
#2. Find inspiration from comments. My hit post got a decent amount of discussion. I’m using those comments to find keywords, taglines, and objections.
#3. Expand it. The source post is a 7-point listicle. I’m turning it into a 10-chapter concise book, like Steal Like an Artist. Each point expands into one or two pages with stories and past posts.
#4. Write it backwards. Instead of jumping to the introduction, I’m:
- Choosing a title
- Writing a one-line summary
- Outlining the content
- Finding Amazon keywords and categories
- Sketching a sales page
I’m even stealing cover ideas before writing a word.
#5. Make it short. The other day, I found a one-page book, so why not write 10 or 15 pages and call it a book? One or two pages per point plus the front and back matter.
#6. Price it incrementally. I’m following the “$0.99 is the new free” idea. If it gains traction, I’ll raise the price by $1 every other month until it hits $5.
#7. Hit one reader milestone. Just like I set it for Street-Smart Coding, if even one reader beyond my circle buys it, the experiment is a success.
Update (Mar 2026): This experiment was a success.
31 Jan 2026 #misc
Yesterday I found a LinkedIn post asking if a crap post was better than no post at all. I didn’t want to bury my answer on the comments section. So I’m expanding it a bit here.
A crap post is better than silence.
Well, 90% of everything is crap. Most of what we create won’t be great. And that’s ok.
But writing, coding, or any creative pursuit is like exercising. Skip the gym once, nothing happens. Skip twice, and suddenly you’re on the couch, binge-watching Netflix, wondering where the extra weight came from.
Whether it’s a post slightly longer than a Tweet, some random thoughts, a few lines of code, or quick sketches, a small, imperfect repetition is better than breaking a habit.
Your small reps won’t make you lose credibility. They prove that when life throws curveballs, your habit stays intact.
30 Jan 2026 #mondaylinks
Hey there.
This week marks three months since I launched Street-Smart Coding. It started in a notebook with a 10-idea list. Now it’s a book. Getting the first paperback copies made me feel like a New York Times bestselling author. Pinch me, please.
After that quick update, here are 4 links I thought were worth sharing this week:
#1. For months, we’ve been hearing that AI will replace coders. But a more realistic prediction is to say that we won’t be writing code by hand in 5 years (10min). Truth is, coding was never the hard part.
#2. If you’re looking for a tech job in 2026, instead of applying and sending out CVs everywhere, make a target bet (4min). Without knowing it, that’s the strategy I followed to land my last contracting gig.
#3. With LLMs and agents, building in-house replacements for paid tools sounds tempting as a way to save some money). But writing code is just the tip of the iceberg (5min).
#4. These days, American coworkers complain about the weather, and I keep converting between Fahrenheit and Celsius. Here’s a quick mental heuristic to do it (1min).
And in case you missed it, I wrote on my blog about a new rule for using AI without losing my skills (2min) and how to be an expert at failing (and survive to tell the story) (5min).
(Bzzz…Radio voice) This email was brought to you by… Street-Smart Coding, 30 lessons to help you code like a pro. From Googling to clear communication, it covers the lessons you don’t learn in tutorials. It’s now out on Kindle and paperback on Amazon.
Until next Friday, keep coding smart
Cesar