This week featuring the coffee machine mod Gaggimate, thoughts on generalists and the Drama Triangle, among other things.
Another Ultimate Gaggia Mod? The Gaggimate – Lance Hedrick
Have I mentioned that I love coffee? And automation? This great video by Lance Hedrick makes me want to buy a Gaggia Classic machine. The automation possibilities with those machines enables you to turn them into having capabilities that machines in this price range usually do not have.
After some hick hack regarding the ‘original’ Gaggiuino project (and the not that good looking display it needs), I’m glad I found out about the Gaggimate.
Even though it offers less functionality, the design fits much better in my opinion. I’m looking forward to buying a Gaggia Classic to mod it!
My key takeaway: You do not need a coffee maker which costs several thousand Euros to get great features like PID controllers that make your coffee taste much better.
Generalist Disease – Dan Hockenmaier
In this essay, Dan Hockenmaier argues against being a Generalist all your career long. Starting his career at BSG, Hockenmaier saw many generalists with a very broad range of capabilities.
The hallmark symptom of people with Generalist Disease is optimizing for optionality. In order to open as many doors as possible in the future, they chase breadth (exposure to as many industries and functions as possible) and chase prestige (logos and titles that look good on resumes).
He proclaims that “you ultimately need to switch to chasing aptitude and enjoyment.” For this, you have to take two steps: First, you have to explore many different fields in the beginning of your career, even if this seems to going down the ladder. Second, you have to grind. Once you find ‘your’ field, you have to get down in the details, get your hands dirty and learn every detail.
He closes with these words:
It is initially unsettling to take a job you’re not sure is right, or to put your head down and refine the craft rather than continuing to explore options. But it will certainly make you happier to work hard at something you love and are good at.
My key takeaway: I have the same opinion as Hockenmaier. Early in your career, you have the option to explore many different fields to get a clear sense of what you like or not. But later you have to specialise in one field and dismiss being a generalist. In my opinion, you should stop once you have found the field you really enjoy. And this can even be the first field you set your foot in.
Dealing with strong opinions – Cultivated Management
This article showcases how to handle people with strong opinions. It suggests several actions on how to deal with such opinions.
- Truly listen
- Don’t take it personally
- Appreciate they are not wrong
- Learn their side of the argument better than they do
- The other way works
- Ignore
- Communicate with clarity and kindness
- Don’t be like them
My key takeaway:
It’s why I reckon 99% of the time, their words are not aimed at you personally – they are compensating for something much more personal within themselves.
So don’t take those strong opinions personally. If they are clearly false, try to get to the other person by asking them pointed questions regarding the topic.
This is because “beliefs, certainly long held, can rarely be changed by arguments, confrontation, disagreements or logic.”
Overall, try to focus on the argument and not on the person. Separate between the topic at hand and the person and do not attack your counterpart!
A Model for Cutting Down on Gossip and Drama at Work – Andy Sparks
I really like Andy Sparks’ essays. He explains concepts in a very easy to follow way. In this one, he goes into the Drama Triangle which was coined by Dr. Stephen Karpman in 1972.
There are three dramatic roles:
- The Rescuer – “Rescuers’ primary activity is “fixing” other people’s problems and ignoring or avoiding their unpleasant feelings and problems”
- The Prosecutor – “Prosecutors are all about dishing out blame and finding fault in others. Prosecutors are often motivated by nasty stuff like feeling superior (”I’m not to blame, you are”) and diverting attention (”He failed… don’t look at my project”).”
- The Victim – “They feel disempowered; someone did something to them.”
The Why is explained as follows:
We try to alleviate our unpleasant feelings when something isn’t going our way. To do so, we oversimplify the world, create a “story in our head,” and begin to act that story out as if it were a fairy tale.
In the essay, there are many examples and also some solutions like this one inspired by David Emerald:
Instead of rescuing, coach—help them come up with their own solution. Instead of prosecuting, challenge—encourage them to understand the consequences. Finally, instead of being a victim, create solutions—do your best to solve the problem and take responsibility for your part.
My key takeaway: Having mental models like the Drama Triangle in mind can help you understand certain situations better and lets you communicate in a way where a person does not have to feel like a victim.
A system to organise your life – Johnny.Decimal
I’m closing this week’s issue with a note-taking and document managing framework for your digital life.
Many struggle with sorting their digital belongings in a way where one can find what they need in a fast manner.
I’m currently using Tiago Forte’s PARA method, but I’m encountering limits in the overview I have over my documents.
Johnny.Decimal offers an alternative to categorise your documents in an intuitive way. I think that I will implement it in the near future. Maybe this will also result in another post on Substack.
My key takeaway: Sorting digital stuff often is quite a hassle. Exploring different systems to do so is a key task in my opinion for a easier digital life.
Hi, my name is Flo 👋
I’m a software engineer from Germany. Thanks for joining me on this week’s episode of Stuff Worth Sharing! I hope you found something intriguing to explore further.
Feel free to share with others who might enjoy these weekly finds.
Until next week,
Flo
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