January 2010 Archives

I've been using a notepad from Behance called the Action Pad for the past year or so, and I love this pad!

I tend to take notes as thoughts occur to me, and as such, my notes can often get jumbled between topics (as my mind wanders sometimes ;)). In the past I would use a simple notepad and use stars to denote action items. Eventually I moved the action items to the right hand side of the page, creating a separate column. When I started more UI wireframing and such, I moved my notes to graph paper. At that point I was pretty pleased with my setup, until I stumbled across the Action Pad.

Now, I don't subscribe to the Action Method, or any other method for that matter. But the formatting of the pad itself perfectly fits how I take notes:

• First of all, the Action Item boxes on the right-hand column are fantastic


• The small area at the bottom right is ideal for parking-lot items


• The small area on the top is great for random thoughts and ideas


• And the graph dots are much more versatile and nicer to use for wireframing or other drawing

In the end, I love this pad and am more than willing to pay the $8 per pad to use it. I highly recommend this, along with a Moleskine or some other notebook for personal or off-topic notes, as an ideal set of pads for your computer bag.

At the end of 1999 I was working an overnight job that a monkey could do. My most recent romantic flame-out was fresh, and a deer had run in front of my car on the way to said monkey job on Christmas Eve. All of these events inspired me to spend New Years Eve with some friends and a large bottle of Patron Anejo tequila.

The next day (after the fog had worn off) I made a decision, I was going to take charge of my life again. I started learning HTML and Photoshop in the spare 6-7 hours of my 8 hour overnight job. I also decided to pursue the woman who I had fallen for years earlier, but the timing was never right.

Now I stand at the cusp of 2010, married to that same beautiful woman for over seven years (we're expecting our second child in June). I'm also now the User Interface manager if an excellent team and am ready to embark on the next decade of my career in web.

So my goals for the next decade?

• Focus on the things that matter to me. Gaining this focus won't be the hard part, keeping it will be.


• Patience to see the opportunities already in front of me. Maintain the long view of my goals and persevere.


• Appreciate the good luck, relationships, and life I already have. I've spent much of the last few years lamenting what I'm not doing professionally and personally. High time to turn that around.

Professional goals for the next decade?

• Share more (blog, meetups, etc.). Focusing on my particular POV being inside big biz with a small web team and the tools/methods we use to succeed


• Attend one social web meetup/gathering each month. I learn so much more when attending events like these and getting to know fellow web professionals in Denver.


• Keep my eye on the prize. Always remembering my career is my own path. Always be checking the road signs to make sure you're still on that path!

And on a personal note, my new years resolution is to restrict my TV time to the weekends so I spend more time reading and with my family. This one will be particularly difficult as TV is how I chill out on any given day!