19 Sep 2026 #experiments
For this week, I limited my “engaging time” to almost zero.
No matter what people claim, scrolling in Substack is still scrolling. And screens and scrolling don’t energize and rarely inspire me.
In spite of my lack of engagement, here’s my 4th week in numbers:
- Still 8 followers
- 1 new subscriber, 5 in total
- 12 notes and 1 post
- 3 likes on the top performing note
- 3 views, 1 like, and 1 link opened on my latest post
One. Like. That already felt like a huge success.
But the most important bit: Stop obsessing over growth. Don’t look at metrics. Enjoy the process.
If you’re curious, here’s how my first, second, and third weeks went.
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18 Sep 2026 #mondaylinks
Hey there.
Here are 4 links I thought were worth sharing this week:
#1. LibreOffice announced “no-ai” (2min) as a core feature and their downloads doubled. Not everyone wants AI and their hands on everything. I’m announcing “no-AI” on my posts, newsletters, books…just to see if visits and sales doubled. LOL.
#2. What do you have in your CV? Languages, tools, job experience? What about listing any of these 4 rare skills (6min)? Which one do you have? I think I’m a polyglot.
#3. AI won’t ever replace coders if you consider programming as an art (5min). Do you think programming is art?
#4. When everybody is doomscrolling and defaulting to AI, it’s time for de-brainrot vacations (5min).
And in case you missed it, I wrote on my blog about the signs I failed to noticed when I burned out (2min) and one habit I quit after recovering from burnout (2min).
(Bzzz…Radio voice) This email was brought to you by… Street-Smart Coding Manifesto. A case against syntax obsession. Because real impact comes from skills outside your IDE.
Keep coding smart.
See you next Friday,
Cesar
17 Sep 2026 #misc
To keep my creative muscles in shape, I write 10 bad ideas every day. Here’s today’s list:
#1. Stress weakens your immune system. A lesson from Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman.
#2. Use the XYZ approach when discussing with your partner or at work.
#3. Reading regulates your nervous system.
#4. To remember what you read, ask “What am I trying to achieve?”
#5. Tsundoku is the Japanese word for a pile of unread books.
#6. In a book date, you take your date to a bookstore, discuss about the books you both have read, then each one buys a book the other person will like.
#7. Ban the word Discover from your copy.
#8. Burnout isn’t the same as boreout. The first is from overwork and the last one from underwork. Technically, I didn’t burned out, but bored out.
#9. “Your perfect life won’t be perfect.”
#10. “When you learn, you earn.” A line from Skip The Line I missed the first time I read it.
For more interesting ideas, check out 10 Surprisingly Simple Ideas That Changed My Life.
16 Sep 2026 #wellness #selfgrowth
I spent three days on medication before I could leave the bathroom.
Everything I ate sent me to the toilet. I even had to call a doctor to get a prescription over the phone, just to be able to get out of the house for an appropriate doctor’s appointment. It was the peak of my burnout, in 2023.
It took me days before I could eat without fear. My job was such a pain that I wanted to finish my daily tasks as soon as I could, and I skipped meals and had irregular eating schedules. Bad idea!
Getting stomach sick was a loud siren, but there was a more subtle sign I didn’t notice.
For weeks, I didn’t want to get out of bed. I thought there was no point! Every day felt and looked the same. Another pointless meeting. Another boring task. Another mark on the wall. I waited until the last minute to rush from my bed to my meetings. Thank goodness they were over Teams, and nobody noticed I didn’t shower or my breath.
That apathy and disengagement started Sunday evenings. Just imagining what the next Monday would look like already gave me a funny feeling in my chest and stomach. It wasn’t love butterflies.
I tried taking vacations and sick days. But once I was back, my energy got depleted after a few days. Back to square one, trapped on my bed again.
Some days you’re just tired and don’t want to get up. But if that’s multiple days in a row, don’t wait to fall sick. That’s the first sign to look for.
If you’re feeling lost, bring a sense of joy to your life every day. That’s idea #1 in 10 Surprisingly Simple Ideas That Changed My Life.
15 Sep 2026 #wellness #selfgrowth
Chasing a fancy title broke me.
For a long time, I believed my career was the most important part of my life. I chased titles like Software Architect or Staff Engineer at my last full-time job. But I was at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
After a couple of years, the honeymoon was over. Work felt like a burden, and I thought a new role would spice things up.
When I discussed the chances of a promotion with my boss’s boss, I was told “You could build any role you want.” But all my ideas were rejected with a “Someone is already doing that.” That subtle rejection frustrated me even more. Months later, I was laid off.
I let my work frustrations spread to the rest of my life. I stopped exercising, writing, and eating regularly. I burned out so badly I couldn’t get out of bed.
It took about two years to wake up with purpose. Yes, change is possible.
But burnout and a layoff made me rethink everything. My job and a title aren’t the most important parts of my life. I’ve placed strong boundaries around work and leisure. I code part-time, and only code during working hours. At lunch, I shut down everything work-related and return the next day. Zero emails or notifications. I joke by saying I’m not a passionate coder anymore.
I’ve learned to diversify my sources of joy and accomplishment. I make sure to do something I love every day, like walking, reading, and writing. I refuse to make my job my whole life. That saved me and keeps me from going back.
The idea of diversifying your joy is one of the lessons I share in 10 Surprisingly Simple Ideas That Changed My Life