Reducing Screen time by 86%
“How long is left on this?” I asked, referring to the TV show my wife was currently watching, in which I didn’t have much interest.
Matt Bearman’s Blog
Ramblings about anything that interests me - mainly Music, Cars and Programming.
Latest posts
The Joy of Aeroplane Mode Programming
Recently I got back to the basics of programming - just me, a computer, and a book - it was fantastic. No internet. No distractions.
Senior Engineers: Simplify and add lightness
A former engineering manager once told me something that has stuck with me through my career more than anything else:
🥭
I’m writing this on my phone as there is a cat on my lap. Her name is Mango, she’s 7 years old, and she spends most of her time on my lap these days.
Thoughts on working a four day week after six months
It’s a great time to be a software engineer, demand is high, as is compensation. This presents a great opportunity for anyone who values free time over disposable income. People like me. For the last six months I’ve been working a four day work week, taking a 20% pay-cut and essentially becoming part-time.
Selling my startup - one year on
It’s been a little over a year since I sold Saber, my SaaS website feedback tool. I was Saber’s founder, creator, and only employee. It was hard to let my baby go. But was it the right decision?
How WhatsApp convinces you to give it your contacts
The Internet is currently ablaze with the news that WhatsApp will soon be requiring more user data to be shared with Facebook. This reminded me of another nefarious thing WhatsApp does that I haven’t seen anyone else talking about:
Full-time web developer vs being a full-time dad
For the last 13 years, I’ve been some form of professional web developer, and for the last 21 months, I’ve been a dad. We’re lucky enough that my salary means Sophie (my wife) is able to be a stay at home mum. We both love this arrangement, as we don’t need to sort out child care, and as I work remotely from home, our daughter gets to spend a lot of time with us.
Why I sold my startup for £100,000
I launched Saber, my website feedback tool, as a side project in 2011 - back then it was called BugMuncher. Four years later I decided to stop working as a freelance web developer, and put all of my time, and savings, into trying to grow Saber to the point it could pay all my living expenses, and turn a profit.
August 2019 Income Report
August was my first full month with Saber in “maintenance mode”, and it went pretty well. I had my first week working for FreeAgent on the 5th August, which I spent working in their offices in Edinburgh. Conveniently there was very little that I needed to do to Saber during that week. However, my first week working from home seemed to be more of a test, as bugs and support requests came in thick…