22 May 2026 #misc
After a rabbit hole of Derek Sivers’s interviews and books
#1. How to choose which project to start next.
Consider me/others/time.
- Is it something that interests you?
- Something others will find helpful?
- Is there a deadline?
#2. For multipotentialites:
“You can do anything, but you can’t do everything. You have to decide. If you don’t decide, you get nothing.”
#3. Perspectives are like timezones.
They feel 100% true for you.
But most people have a different one.
#4. The more you consume, the less you create.
Chances are you don’t need more information.
For the rest of the year, stop consuming content and start creating.
From Gabriela Nguyen’s TED talk
#5. Don’t simply ban social media.
Create an environment so you don’t need them.
For my 7-day experiment, that was with leaving books around.
#6. Build social capital in the real world.
From somewhere else
#7. Have a place to write down your ideas without judgment.
Someone calls it, an Idearoum.
For me, it’s an idea pad for my 10-idea lists.
For others, it’s a Future file or folder.
22 May 2026 #mondaylinks
Hey there.
Here are 4 links I thought were worth sharing this week:
#1. Quick coding tip: Never push keys or passwords to public GitHub, especially if you’re a cybersecurity agency.
#2. If trying to keep up with AI news is daunting, here’s a 5-minute recap of the last 6 months of AI landscape (5min).
#3. Your network is your net worth, right? But networking doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s the best way to network (3min).
#4. Looking for a fun, quick weekend experiment? What about hand-drawing QR codes (3min)
And in case you missed it, I wrote on my blog about a weekly practice to reduce my screen time (4min) and I answered a “post interview” from a fellow coder (7min), if you want to know the man behind the keyboard.
(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 shares the lessons to help you stand out in the age of AI.
Keep coding smartly,
Cesar
20 May 2026 #misc
“If this works, it’s going to be huge.”
I’ve heard at least a couple of versions of that line in the last two months.
A friend with an app idea in the EdTech space.
Another friend with an idea in healthcare insurance.
None of them had a single client or line of code written.
Sharing an idea before executing it releases the same chemical soup in your brain as accomplishing something.
It feels like you’ve already done it.
Except it’s all in your head.
The real danger isn’t getting your idea stolen.
Ideas without execution are cheap.
It’s sabotaging yourself by feeling rewarded without doing anything.
Do good work and only then tell people about it.
19 May 2026 #misc
Don’t let a dying battery kill your best ideas.
The other day, I caught up with an ex-coworker.
He shared a valuable story that deserved its own post.
I grabbed my phone to jot down some ideas, but its battery was dying.
I needed the phone to order a ride, so it wasn’t an option.
I didn’t want to forget the conversation’s nuggets.
Thank goodness I took a napkin from the cafe where we met.
That’s where I outlined the post.
Always have something to write: a notebook or even a napkin.
Often pen and paper is more reliable.
They don’t run out of battery.
Though you can run out of paper or ink.
And on Analog Sundays, you need to catch your ideas somewhere.
18 May 2026 #wellness #selfgrowth #experiments
The activities that truly energize me never involve a screen.
Even when done mindfully, after using social media I don’t get up thinking: “Wow! I needed that. It felt so refreshing.”
After a few minutes of scrolling, I feel the urge to rush.
My brain speeds up—in the worst way, not like when I’m in the zone.
A week away from social media taught me I’m another junkie.
I thought I could control it, but nope!
It requires a lot of drive to resist the buzzes and whistles of social media.
To keep digital noise away, I’m adopting Analog Sundays.
One full day with as little time as possible in front of screens.
Why this day of the week
Sundays are already slow days.
We don’t have to go to work, so we wake up late.
It’s usually a day for church or simply staying at home.
When I was a kid, Sundays were for staying in bed, reading the Sunday newspaper, and having a brunch—two meals a day isn’t a bad idea either.
So why not piggyback on the slowness of Sundays to make them analog.
Make Sundays a day for reconnection
Here are some of my rules for Analog Sundays:
#1. Phone: Turn off all notifications, disconnect your phone from your WiFi network, activate the grayscale mode, and leave it in a corner.
Only use it for online banking and calls.
And if you step outside, your phone stays at home.
Take your cards and a simple watch.
Smartwatches count as screens too.
#2. Internet access: Only access the internet from a desktop or laptop computer.
Try to spend no more than one hour.
Imagine the early 2000s with library computers or internet cafes paid by the hour.
Before turning a computer on, ask yourself what you’re going to do.
No checking stats and analytics, sales dashboards, likes, follower count…
Use your one hour wisely.
My first Analog Sunday was boring (and that’s good)
Yesterday was my first Analog Sunday—but I’ve been giving my phone some time off on Sundays.
In my first Analog Sunday, I
To honor my no-screens rule, I handwrote this post.
It’s a whole different experience.
If it sounds boring, that’s the whole point.
We’re so used to screens we can’t sit alone with our thoughts anymore.
And if you find yourself walking around looking for what to do, resist the urge to grab a screen.
That’s what Analog Sundays are for.
To be bored again.
If you don’t have something to do, simply do nothing.
When big corporations profit from our attention and data, time away from screens isn’t just to reconnect. It’s resistance too.
Why not resist for just one day a week?
Let’s reclaim on Sundays together.
If you’d like a companion for your next Analog Sunday, you might enjoy one of my books.