You are what you do... everyday

You are what you do is a popular phrase, and I'd add that you are even moreso what you do everyday.

For the last 6 years, I've played Go everyday for 10 minutes, because I think it's the best game in the history of the world, and slowly I've gone from having no idea what I was doing to being a middle-tier amateur. Someday I'll write a post about how Go relates to management, software design, negotiation, perhaps even the financial meltdown.

My plan is to write in this blog everyday (or nearly so). I want to take time everyday, even if only 10 minutes, to step back and think about what I'm doing or should be doing at work, or what's interesting in the software profession.

Similarly, a lot of Agile techniques have a daily focus. You don't build your test cases all at once at the end, you do it daily (assuming you're writing code daily). You scrum daily to check in with your progress and see where things stand. You rebuild at least daily. Doing things daily builds expertise, and let's everyone know that these things matter.

Part of why we, as an industry, have more than doubled our success rates on software projects is because we're smarter about our technique. We've created structure that creates successful behavior.

Think about what you do everyday, and there you will find that which you truly value. Does it match what's going to make you more marketable and build your skills?