Developer Tea

Goal of the Goal - Using Goals As A Prioritization Clarifying ToolThis episode delves into the crucial role of well-positioned goals in a developer's career. It asserts that goals provide clarity, perspective, and purpose, particularly focusing on clarity as a primary benefit. The discussion challenges common struggles with goal setting, including the often-overlooked importance of relevance (the 'R' in SMART goals), suggesting that an irrelevant goal, no matter how specific or measurable, is ultimately ineffective. The core message highlights that the purpose of a goal is to serve as a clarifying and prioritising tool, enabling you to make decisions about what to do and focus your efforts, rather than simply doing work that is handed to you. You will learn to start small and focus on desired outcomes or what you want to be true, accepting that a goal only needs to be "directionally correct" rather than perfect. The episode also provides a practical heuristic: to set goals by considering how your boss will evaluate your performance in the future. It emphasises the importance of setting goals that are challenging but sustainable, avoiding common pitfalls like overly abstract, too easy, or demoralisingly difficult goals, to prevent disengagement and burnout. Ultimately, consistent goal setting and reflection are presented as key drivers for long-term career success. Understand the fundamental importance of goals • in providing clarity, perspective, and purpose • in your career, especially for driven developers. • Recognise that relevance is the most critical factor in goal setting • ; a goal's specificity or measurability is meaningless if it is not the right goal for you. • Grasp that the primary function of a goal is to help you make decisions • about what to do, acting as a clarifying, prioritising, and focusing tool for your efforts. • Challenge the mindset that your goal as a software engineer is merely to complete assigned work; without personal goals, your career changes and skill development will be difficult. • Learn to start small when setting goals • and focus on desired outcomes • or what you genuinely want to be true in your career. • Embrace the concept of a "directionally correct" goal • , understanding that a goal does not need to be perfect to guide you effectively towards a larger, long-term outcome. • Utilise reflection after meeting a goal to assess whether it moved you closer to your long-term objectives, providing valuable steering for future goals. • Employ a practical heuristic for goal setting: imagine how your boss would evaluate your performance • in six months or a year, and set goals around those anticipated factors. • Be proactive in discussing career growth and goal setting with your manager, framing it as an opportunity for them to direct your efforts towards organisational wins. • Identify and avoid common pitfalls in goal setting, such as goals that are too abstract (not tractable), too easy (causing disengagement), or too difficult (leading to demoralisation) • . • Strive for goals that offer a challenging but sustainable • chance of success (e.g., around a 60% probability), requiring focus and the ability to say no, without leading to burnout. • Understand that consistency in setting and pursuing goals • is what ultimately defines long-term success, rather than the perfection of any single goal. 📮 Ask a Question If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 Join the Discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 Leave a Review If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you. For further reading (external sources): SMART Goals • : The episode mentions the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) as a good set of checks for goals. You can find more information about SMART goals on their Wikipedia page • . (Please note: This link provides information from outside of the provided sources and you may want to independently verify that information.) • The discussion on goal success probability (e.g., 60% chance of success) alludes to studies on optimal challenge levels for engagement and achievement. You may find further research on goal-setting theory and motivational psychology to explore these concepts in more detail. (Please note: This information is not explicitly from the provided sources and you may want to independently verify it.)

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Your Capacity for Growth Is Dependent on This Factor - Cognitive Load TheoryToday we explore Cognitive Load Theory. This concept can profoundly influence how you structure your workday, manage teams, and approach learning in your career. The episode highlights that much of professional work, particularly in knowledge-based roles like software engineering, is fundamentally about learning. You will discover that there is an optimal amount of information processing for effective learning, and both overloading and underloading your cognitive capacity can be detrimental. A key insight is that cognitive load does not discriminate; all external factors, whether work-related or personal (e.g., tiredness, a messy desk), consume your finite cognitive capacity, leaving less "headroom" for optimal performance. Furthermore, cognitive load is not static but varies daily, impacted by an individual's diverse life experiences. The episode also delves into how skill development effectively lowers the cognitive load required for specific tasks, allowing individuals to achieve more with less mental effort or take on new challenges. It underscores the importance of self-awareness in recognising signals of overload or underload, and for managers, it emphasises fostering empathy by understanding how external life factors can impact a team member's cognitive capacity. Understand the pervasive nature of learning in professional careers • , particularly for developers, where acquiring new information and making connections is a constant. • Grasp the core principle of Cognitive Load Theory • : there is an ideal level of information processing • that maximises your learning ability. Both excessive (overload) and insufficient (underload) cognitive demands can negatively impact this learning rate. • Recognise that your cognitive load does not differentiate between sources • . This means that personal factors such as being tired, anticipating events, or even having a cluttered workspace contribute to your overall cognitive load, reducing your capacity for work-related tasks. • Appreciate that an individual's cognitive load is not a fixed value • ; it fluctuates daily due to various life experiences. • For managers, learn to proactively discuss cognitive load with your team members • to help them operate at an appropriate engagement level. A simple way to initiate this conversation is by asking about their energy and positivity levels. • Discover that while reducing non-value-producing cognitive load provides more mental overhead • , it also carries the risk of underloading • , which can lead to disengagement and reduced performance. The challenge lies in finding the optimal balance. • Learn how developing skills and gaining experience reduces the cognitive load required to perform a task • . This means you become more efficient and can accomplish the same outcomes with less mental effort, freeing up capacity for new learning or additional responsibilities. • Consider career growth through the lens of cognitive load: it involves either increasing efficiency (doing more of the same with less load) or expanding your repertoire by taking on new types of cognitive load in parallel • . • Understand why managing your personal life is intrinsically linked to your career success • (and vice versa), as cognitive load universally affects your capacity to learn and handle challenges. • Build empathy by understanding that a person's capacity to perform difficult tasks can be significantly moderated by their current cognitive load • , which may be influenced by challenging personal circumstances. • Recognise task saturation • as the point of cognitive overload where performance declines rapidly, as observed in flight training. Repeated exposure to this point, however, can lead to skill development that lowers the cognitive load for those specific tasks over time. • Understand that multitasking often increases cognitive load due to switching costs, making it less efficient than sequential task completion. 🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix Studio Devs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again. With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks and more on the functionalities that matters most: • Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub. • Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions. • And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistant. All of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind. Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com. 📮 Ask a Question If you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com. 📮 Join the Discord If you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today! 🧡 Leave a Review If you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you. For further reading (external sources): • To learn more about the academic background of Cognitive Load Theory, you may find additional information on its Wikipedia page • . (Please note: This link provides information from outside of the provided sources and you may want to independently verify that information.) • The concept of "task saturation" discussed in the episode, particularly in the context of flight training, relates to a point of cognitive overload. More on this can be explored on its Wikipedia page • . (Please note: This link provides information from outside of the provided sources and you may want to independently verify that information.)

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