Someone asked me today what keeps me motivated, and whether I have a motto. I had to think about it for a moment. Apparently I don’t keep an inspirational quote ready for occasions like this.
The answer is fairly simple: I want what I build to make someone else’s day easier. That might be an API, a workflow, or the screen someone uses every morning. Hearing that a person felt listened to, got the support they needed, or helped us find a better solution than the one we started with means more to me than ticking a feature off a list.
Of course, the easy-looking part often sits on top of a lot of hard work. Architecture, integrations, security, tests, and verification all have a hand in whether an experience feels effortless. Much of that work is invisible until it goes wrong.
I enjoy solving difficult problems. Solving the same problem again and again is less exciting. So I try to ask: What can we improve now that will save time, reduce risk, and make the next round easier?
My slightly ridiculous test is whether I could be on a deserted city in the middle east eating a camel meat and trust the systems to behave themselves. They shouldn’t need constant rescue missions just because I’m away from my keyboard.
That takes reliable systems and less avoidable maintenance. Time spent repeatedly repairing the same fault is time we can’t spend simplifying a process, improving a service, or helping the business move faster. When something does fail, I want us to learn enough from it that the next time is easier—or never arrives.
I sometimes call this laziness. Really, I’m just impatient with unnecessary work, especially the kind we could have prevented.
So perhaps my motto is this: listen closely, build carefully, and make the next time easier.
Or maybe that’s just how I work. :)