Poker and Valuing Time
My experience as an online poker professional fundamentally changed how I think about time and opportunity cost, with lessons that apply far beyond the poker table.
brettcooke.io
Brett Cooke's Personal Blog
Latest posts
Back from Hiatus
After a long hiatus from blogging, I'm back to share my thoughts. Life has changed significantly - I'm now a father and have started my own company. Time to get back to writing.
Ways to come up with startup ideas – Get really good at something
Excelling in a skill can lead to startup ideas, with infinite possibilities across both conventional and unconventional talents. Focused practice helps you improve, and mastery can reveal business opportunities, such as teaching or creating products for your field. Understanding your domain deeply aids in identifying customer needs and innovation, with enjoyment and passion being key to sustaining…
Ways to come up with startup ideas – Immerse yourself in an industry
While fresh eyes have their merits, deep industry knowledge and connections also go a long way. If you're looking to start a company, but unsure what to focus on, consider getting a job in a particular market and fully immersing yourself, until you know which problems are worth solving.
Ways to come up with startup ideas – Find a boring problem to solve
Instead of working on an exciting idea, try to find a boring problem that people are desparate to solve. It may not be glamouress, but the startup graveyard is littered with fun companies that couldn't make it work, while the mundane businesses live on.
Ways to come up with startup ideas – X for Y
The X for Y strategy is an effective method for discovering and validating startup ideas, as well as for clearly communicating your vision. Utilizing this analogy can also expedite the design and development process. However, it's important to complement this approach with thorough research and critical thinking, rather than relying on it unquestioningly.
Ways to come up with startup ideas – Ride the wave of an emerging trend
A tried-and-true way of coming up with a successful startup or product is recognizing a trend and building something that rides its momentum. Sounds easier than it is, of course. The hard part is actually identifying that trend before others do, and developing your skills so you're ready. But it can be done!
Ways to come up with startup ideas – Solve your own problem
One of my favorite methods for startup idea generation is to solve your own problems. It's proven by successes like Spanx, Dropbox, and Warby Parker. This approach guarantees at least one happy customer—you. It saves research time, ensures market need, and offers intrinsic motivation to overcome startup challenges. Plus, it's a direct path to understanding customer value, potentially expanding an…
Ways to come up with startup ideas – Become a problem-spotter
Discovering startup ideas hinges on training your mind to spot problems, turning everyday frustrations into potential business opportunities. Writing down annoyances helps, and you don't need to be inherently critical—awareness is the key. Whether through personal experiences or listening to others, identifying issues in daily life can lead to successful startups.
Ways to come up with startup ideas – Write down your ideas
In my series on coming up with startup ideas, we begin with the basics. Method number one is to write things down. Take a moment, be aware of the idea, and keep a record. This simple act helps tons of people develop their ideas over time.
Ways to come up with startup ideas
Product and startup ideas are all around us. My brain does not shut off in thinking of them. If you're someone who wants to take the entrepreneurial plunge, and you're high on skills but low on ideas, this series of posts will give you all sorts of methods for finding the right one.
Figma didn't kill Sketch
A lot of people out there are saying that Figma has won. The game has ended, and all its competitors are dead. But that doesn't apply to Sketch, because they used a different playbook from the scale-up companies like Invision who collapsed under their own weight. It's possible that eventually happens to Figma too. And if it does, you heard it hear first!
Improving workplace requests
Here's a simple rule to consider making non-negotiable at your company – if you're making a request for someone else to do something, it needs to be written down and put on a board. It doesn't matter that you're busy. We all are.
How to document decisions
In my final post on decision documentation, I share tactics for maintaining records in a central wiki with a standard format, emphasizing the balance between structure and flexibility, and advocate for stewardship and generative AI to ease the process across the entire organization.
Wappalyzer lets you peek under the hood
I recently discovered Wappalyzer, a plugin that reveals the technology stack behind websites. It's incredibly useful for software developers curious about site components. The tool is accurate, free, and I highly recommend it for those interested in web technologies.
When should you document a decision
Document important decisions as you make them to capture the process, facilitate discussion, and communicate status. If missed, do it retroactively for clarity and reference. Adapt to your workflow.
Adding a Now Page
I've just added a now page to this blog. If you're curious what I'm up to, check it out!
What makes a decision important enough to be worth documenting
Documenting decisions is crucial, but not all need it. Use the one-way (irreversible) vs two-way (reversible) door metaphor to gauge a decision's significance. Critical factors include potential impact, involvement of cross-functional teams, and the resources invested. When in doubt, document, especially for decisions involving significant discussions, investments, or those that are non-obvious…
Why people don't document their decisions
Documenting decisions is vital but often neglected due to lack of exposure, unclear methods, no critical mass, no enforcement, perceived time and effort, and misaligned motives. Overcoming these barriers can enhance organizational transparency and accountability.
Why you should document every important decision
Documenting decisions boosts transparency, accountability, clarity, creates a historical record, ensures policy consistency, saves time, and aids learning/improvement. It builds trust, clarifies responsibilities, refines thought processes, preserves knowledge, standardizes decision-making, prevents repetitive discussions, and facilitates organizational growth.
Document every important decision
I'm starting a series on the importance of documenting decisions, covering why it's vital, which decisions to document, common challenges, and how to do it effectively, aimed at enhancing practices in organizations, especially startups.
Beyond the hype of productivity tools
Evaluating the true efficiency of productivity tools reveals a need for discernment amidst promises of quick success.
Disclaimers
A post where I share basic disclaimers to cover my butt because life can be unpredictable
Strong opinions, loosely held as a default is nonsense
When we adopt "strong opinions, weakly held" as a core operating principle, we risk fostering overconfidence and giving too much weight to those who speak loudest. This approach can waste time and create unnecessary problems.
Upping my Production
I aim to shift from over-consumption to producing more value, beauty, and joy in the world. Through conscious time allocation and sharing my creations, I seek to contribute more than I consume, challenging the capitalistic consumption cycle.
Lessons in Entrepreneurship from Poker – The Small Edges Matter
When I played online poker professionally, I learned the immense value of sweating the small stuff. This approach isn't just key to poker; it's crucial in business and life too. Minor details can be game-changers, giving you the edge needed to outperform competitors and achieve success.
AudioPen is a Gem
I highly recommend AudioPen, a speech-to-text tool with AI features, for converting speech into text in custom styles. It's great for blogging, note-taking, and writing emails. While it offers free and paid versions, users should be mindful of data privacy. It's become essential in my workflow, alongside ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot.
Life in the Grays
Embracing gray thinking offers a nuanced perspective in a black-and-white world, balancing complexity and simplicity. It's valuable but challenging, often leading to indecisiveness. Inspired by this, I created Tradeoffs.io to encourage diverse viewpoints and thoughtful discussions.
The other things are part of building, too
Planning and other activities beyond writing code are part of building too, and we should talk about it that way.
Against Elitist Hiring Myths
A players hire A players, B players hire C players is a elitist mindset that's arrogant and reductionist. It unfairly labels people and ignores situational influences on performance, creating unnecessary divisions. While skill differences are real, these types of simplistic tropes reveal more about those who use it than anything else.
Software engineering practice in practice
So I've said that software engineers don't practice enough. What would that actually look like? I was asked and I respond!
Syndicating this Blog, Part I
I'm starting a series on syndicating my blog across social media, despite disliking its negative impact. I'll share my posts on LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms without really tailoring content for each. As an engineer, I'll use AWS SAM for syndication instead of paid tools like Buffer, considering its scalability and flexibility for future enhancements. Next posts will detail the setup…
Obsidian is my everything app
Obsidian is the everything app Elon Musk will never be able to create for you. It's minimal, has a rich plugin ecosystem, uses Markdown for portability, and emphasizes note linking for a personal knowledge graph.
Lessons in Entrepreneurship from Poker – Different strategies for different stages
In tournament poker, adapt strategy based on stack size and tournament stage. Play conservatively early, become more aggressive in the midgame, and understand advanced concepts for later stages. This mirrors startups, where strategies evolve with the company's stage and resources, teaching valuable intuition for entrepreneurs.
Start with who
When choosing a business idea, focus first on identifying your target customer rather than the product. Understanding and caring for your customer base ensures motivation and clarity, avoiding vague user profiles and enhancing product-market fit.
Waste is part of the process
Repeated or throwaway efforts in software development, often seen as wasteful, are crucial learning and creative steps, similar to the processes in art and craftsmanship. This iterative approach, embracing trial and error, is essential for innovation and excellence, contrasting with the unrealistic expectation of perfection on the first try.
All in one place app fatigue
The "all-in-one-place" app marketing cliché, with its promise to be the ultimate solution, is naive and lazy. The solution won't come from one more "one place" app.
Lessons in Entrepreneurship from Poker – Turn-taking
Poker teaches the importance of turn-taking and claiming your fair share. This concept, vital in poker, applies to business and life, helping recognize balance and opportunities. Mastering it allows you to subtly outperform in competitive scenarios.
Find your bread and butter stack
Find your bread and butter stack – you'll be better off for it. Engineers benefit from mastering a familiar tech stack, enhancing efficiency and enjoyment in work. Personal preference matters more than chasing trends. While evolving your stack with new tools is good, it's wise to choose established technologies for longevity.
Leveraging Mere Exposure
The "mere exposure effect" suggests that familiarity shapes our preferences. It has positive uses like exposure therapy in CBT and promoting tolerance, but can also be misused for manipulation. I use it to introduce ideas and understand my reactions, considering timing and patience. It's a powerful tool, but with great responsibility.
A growing list of company values
Company values are crucial but can become hollow. I admire firms with authentic values and suggest a dynamic approach where each team member contributes a new value, approved by executives, ensuring they align with existing ones. This balances maintaining core values with integrating fresh perspectives
Announcing Recambrian
Recambrian, my holding company, simplifies launching side projects and ventures. It reduces administrative hassle, allowing me to focus on my creative and business pursuits. It's useful for testing ideas, billing for consulting, and potential tax benefits. Inspired by the Cambrian Explosion, it represents rapid diversification and expansion in business.
Software engineers don't typically practice and it's weird
Software engineers should practice their craft as part of their job, just like athletes. Most workplaces focus on output, not skill development. I advocate for creating environments where engineers can regularly hone their skills, similar to musicians or athletes.
Lessons in Entrepreneurship from Poker – Don't be Results-Oriented
True success in both poker and business relies more on consistent skill and strategic decisions rather than short-term wins or impressive credentials. It's important to focus on continuous improvement and critical thinking over merely replicating past successes.
My Old Blogs
This is the third or fourth time I've started a personal blog, so this is a trip down memory lane where I share my past writing. Some things never change!
Favorite Podcasts
A list of my favorite podcasts
An Ode to the Creator of AstroPaper
Open-source software has benefitted me in so many ways. I'd like to express my gratitude towards the creator of the theme for this blog. Thank you for AstroPaper, Sat!
The Agony of Writing
A lazy meta post exploring a lot of the questions I'm asking myself as I write. For who do I do it for? Why do I do it? When do I do it? And of course how. Writing is torture.
Lessons in Entrepreneurship from Poker – Game Selection
Game selection in poker is crucial, paralleling strategic focus in business. Understanding key factors like opponent skill and game environment is essential. This principle also applies to business, highlighting the importance of focusing on unique aspects of products.
Lessons in Entrepreneurship from Poker – People Won't Get It and That's OK
Playing poker for a living will teach you to be comfortable with others not understanding your choices, a vital skill in entrepreneurship where one must often disregard public opinion and trust in their own goals and abilities.