Writing

What is its job? 20^th of May 2022 When a project gets stuck at the level of deliverables, asking ‘what is its job?’ shifts the conversation back to value, purpose, and outcomes.
Alphabetising the recycling 17^th of May 2022 Alphabetising your recycling is such a perfect way of describing those activities that seem, on the face of them, useful and productive but, as you dig in you realise that they are just busy-work.
On asking why, copying, and outcome bias 12^th of May 2022 I seem to go through a cycle of thinking I ask ‘why’ way too much, and then, shortly after, that I don’t ask ‘why’ nearly enough.
Friction and inaction 11^th of May 2022 For the past (checks last post date) six or so months, I've posted nothing here. In that time, though, I've been busier than ever. So what gives?
Switching to Eleventy 24^th of September 2021 As foreshadowed I've moved the site's generator over to Eleventy, so I now have no excuse not to write more.
Bug fix 17^th of February 2021 Today, in a handful of lines of pretty much copied and pasted code, I solved a bug that’s been plaguing a client site for months - if not years.
Pause, regroup, take stock 7^th of August 2020 I've now been self-employed or run my own business for over a decade. That means I've spent longer working for myself than I have in all of my previous in-house roles combined.
The surprise twenty minute run 25^th of July 2020 I recently completed Couch to 5k. Over (about) nine weeks, it took me from not running at all to running five kilometres in thirty minutes.
Branding success 14^th of July 2020 My first experience of running a branding project happened in my teens, before I was even aware of branding as a thing. What's more, it was a measurably successful project in its own right – though not in any way I could have expected.
Design as goal reaching not problem solving 13^th of July 2020 Instead of problem solving, I now view design as an ongoing goal-reaching activity. The difference for me is that the context is bigger, the constraints require more thought, but the results are much greater — and more meaningful — in their impact.
The unknown knowns 9^th of July 2020 Last month I suddenly realised I knew far more about a topic than I'd previously thought. This got me thinking about those unknown knowns — the things we don't realise we already know or understand.
Switching to Jekyll 8^th of July 2020 I just switched this site over to Jekyll. If you'd visited this site early yesterday evening then you wouldn't have noticed a single change — and that was my goal.
Design is uncomfortable 28^th of May 2020 Design is uncomfortable. At least I frequently find it uncomfortable. Anyone who has sat in front of a blank page will know something of this.
Nothing new 28^th of May 2020 In my work there is always an urge to tread new ground, to discover, to create what’s never been created or seen before. However, that's often not what is needed, and there's the often quoted fact that everything is a remix, that there is nothing new under the sun.
Where are you Siri? 24^th of April 2020 I talk to my phone, my wrist, my iPad and, occasionally, my computer. I ask them to remind me of things, I ask what the weather will be like, I ask them to time something for me. Sometimes I ask them something more complex, and, sometimes, they help with that too.

© Alex Magill