5 posts tagged with "goals"

Today, I want to dive into a question that has likely crossed everyone's mind at some point: What is one thing stopping you from reaching your goals? It's a thought-provoking question that can lead us to some valuable insights about our personal journeys and aspirations.

You want to build that SaaS idea, launch a tech consultancy, or transition into machine learning. Meanwhile, you're debugging legacy code and sitting through status meetings. The gap between where you are and where you want to be feels overwhelming.

But here's the thing: most successful career pivots and side projects happen gradually, not through dramatic "burn the ships" moments. The developers I know who've built successful businesses, switched domains, or created passive income streams did it systematically while maintaining their day jobs.

You don't need to quit your job to start building the career you actually want.

If you're a developer with ADHD, you've probably heard all the standard advice: "just focus better," "try harder to pay attention," "use a planner." That advice misses the point entirely. ADHD isn't a focus problem — it's a attention regulation difference that, when understood and managed strategically, can actually be a significant advantage in technical work.

I've worked with countless developers who have ADHD, and the most successful ones aren't the ones who try to force themselves into neurotypical productivity frameworks. They're the ones who build systems that work with their brains, not against them. They leverage their hyperfocus for complex problem-solving, use their pattern recognition for debugging, and channel their restless energy into learning new technologies.

The goal isn't to mask your ADHD or pretend it doesn't exist. It's to understand how your brain works and build a career that lets you do your best work.

Self-assessments in tech often feel like an awkward exercise in self-promotion mixed with forced introspection. But here's the thing: they're actually one of the most powerful tools you have for career advancement — if you approach them strategically.

Most developers treat self-assessments like a checkbox exercise, writing generic summaries of what they worked on and calling it done. That's a missed opportunity. Your self-assessment is your chance to control the narrative about your performance, highlight contributions that might have gone unnoticed, and position yourself for the opportunities you actually want.

Think of it as documentation for your career. Just like good code documentation, it should be clear, accurate, and useful for future reference.

What do you want to get out of your career? The answer usually isn’t just 'an income.' We all have dreams of what we’d like to accomplish in our career.

Some people imagine being at the head of a business, leading the rest of the team to success. Others just want a job where they feel like they’re making a difference. One of the best ways to make your dreams a reality is to set effective goals.