on day 1, i promised myself one thing: ship something - anything - before sleep.
not perfect. not pretty. just shipped.
a tiny bug fix. a small ui tweak. a short post. an email. a feature flag. a landing copy change. a refactor i had been avoiding.
it sounded silly at first. but 100 days later, i feel different. calmer. faster. clearer.
wanna ship faster than ever? try this:
superfast
here are the lessons that actually stuck.
1) small ships compound like money
i used to wait for big launches. now i trust small steps.
tiny improvements reduce friction for tomorrow. less fear. fewer unknowns. more momentum.
i used to wait for big launches. now i trust small steps.
tiny improvements reduce friction for tomorrow. less fear. fewer unknowns. more momentum.
2) scope is a muscle
shipping daily forced me to cut features to the bone.
if it doesn't fit in today, it moves to tomorrow. the product still grows - just without bloat.
shipping daily forced me to cut features to the bone.
if it doesn't fit in today, it moves to tomorrow. the product still grows - just without bloat.
3) feedback beats fantasy
i replaced “i think” with “users said”. reality is loud when you ship often. i stopped guessing.
i replaced “i think” with “users said”. reality is loud when you ship often. i stopped guessing.
4) bad days still count
some days i shipped a 2-line change or wrote 100 words. still counts. the streak survived, and so did the identity: i am someone who ships.
some days i shipped a 2-line change or wrote 100 words. still counts. the streak survived, and so did the identity: i am someone who ships.
5) ideas are cheap, momentum is rare
when momentum shows up, protect it. no overhauls mid-streak. no rabbit holes. finish, then polish.
when momentum shows up, protect it. no overhauls mid-streak. no rabbit holes. finish, then polish.
6) marketing is part of shipping
a ship is incomplete until someone sees it. i learned to write the changelog, post the update, ask for feedback, and link it where it matters.
a ship is incomplete until someone sees it. i learned to write the changelog, post the update, ask for feedback, and link it where it matters.
7) boredom is a signal of depth
around day 40, the work felt repetitive. turns out repetition is where craft lives. boring is where quality compounds.
around day 40, the work felt repetitive. turns out repetition is where craft lives. boring is where quality compounds.
8) systems beat motivation
i stopped relying on energy. i used checklists, templates, and constraints: one source control branch per ship, one sentence changelog, one outcome per day.
i stopped relying on energy. i used checklists, templates, and constraints: one source control branch per ship, one sentence changelog, one outcome per day.
9) defaults matter
i made shipping the default and skipping the exception. notifications, calendar blocks, and a tiny evening alarm labeled “ship”. it removed decisions.
i made shipping the default and skipping the exception. notifications, calendar blocks, and a tiny evening alarm labeled “ship”. it removed decisions.
10) identity > goals
goals end. identity sticks. after 100 days, i don't need a streak tracker - i have a habit.
goals end. identity sticks. after 100 days, i don't need a streak tracker - i have a habit.
what changed in numbers?
> fewer zero-progress days
> faster feedback loops
> more inbound messages and replies
> tighter, smaller pull requests
> fewer zero-progress days
> faster feedback loops
> more inbound messages and replies
> tighter, smaller pull requests
what changed in me?
i'm less precious about ideas. i'm more patient with progress. i trust that small steps, done daily, beat heroic sprints done rarely.
i'm less precious about ideas. i'm more patient with progress. i trust that small steps, done daily, beat heroic sprints done rarely.
how i kept the streak:
> a tiny "ship list" i update every morning
> a simple definition of done: visible change + logged note
> a rule: if it takes more than a day, split it
> a tiny "ship list" i update every morning
> a simple definition of done: visible change + logged note
> a rule: if it takes more than a day, split it
if you want to try this:
> pick a daily time window
> pick a definition of done
> pick one channel to share the ship
start with 7 days. then 14. then 30. you'll feel the flywheel.
> pick a daily time window
> pick a definition of done
> pick one channel to share the ship
start with 7 days. then 14. then 30. you'll feel the flywheel.
"build less, ship more. repeat."
p.s. i'm continuing the streak. not because i have to, but because shipping daily makes building fun again.