#Automation
Cron, scripts, scheduled tasks, and the small stack that turns 'I should do that' into something that actually runs.
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The 3-Line Cron Expression That Saved My Marriage
A real story about a 3-line cron expression that fixed a recurring conflict, the 6 weeks of arguments it ended, and the surprisingly small amount of code that did it.
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The 5-Line Bash Script That Runs My Life
A real, copy-pasteable, runs-every-day bash script that backs up my laptop, prunes old logs, and tells me when something is wrong. Plus the 3 hours I spent getting the error reporting right.
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How to Run a 5-Minute Code Review
A practical 5-step code review workflow, the 4 questions I ask, the 1 thing I do not do, and the real reason most code reviews take longer than they should.
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The README That Replaced a Sales Call
A real story about a 1-page README that did the selling for me, the 3 calls I stopped taking, and the 4 sections that made the README actually work.
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A Weekend Project That Made $0
An honest case study of a side project that made $0, what I learned from the project that I could not have learned from the $300 project, and the 1 thing that made the $0 worth shipping.
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My 2026 Tool Stack (and What I Would Change)
A real, no-affiliate, what's-actually-on-my-Mac list of the 14 tools I use daily, plus the 3 I would change tomorrow if I had to start over.
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The 30-Minute Morning Routine That Doubled My Output
A 4-step morning routine, the version that worked, the 2 versions that did not, and the 1 thing I would tell past-me.
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My Postmortem of 4 Failed Blog Attempts
An honest postmortem of the 4 blogs I started before this one, what each one got wrong, and the 1 thing the 5th one got right.
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The 5-Minute README Test
A simple test for whether a project is actually documented or just has a README file. Plus the 5 things every README needs to pass.
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Stop Using Cron the Hard Way: A Practical Automation Stack
Cron is fine. Cron alone is the problem. Here is the small stack I use to turn 'I should run that every morning' into something that actually runs, logs, and tells me when it broke.
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The Email Triage System That Cut My Inbox From 2,000 to 50
A 4-folder email system with rules, a daily 30-minute triage, and one rule for what to do with every email. Plus the 6 weeks of pain before it worked.
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Why I Stopped Using 'Helpful' and Started Using 'Useful' Instead
A single-word swap that makes AI output measurably better. The why, the how, and the prompt that does it.
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The Hidden Cost of AI Tools You Don't Use
You are paying for four AI tools and using one. The three you are not using are not free. Here is the real cost, and what to do about it.
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How to Read RSS in 2026 (and Why You Should)
The case for RSS over social media, the 4 readers I have tried, the 2 I kept, and the 5-minute setup that gets you off the algorithm.
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I Built a Blog Writing Factory So I'd Actually Write
I built a blog writing factory in Python last weekend. Not because I wanted to write a blog — I have a Notion graveyard of half-finished posts to prove I do not — but because every time I sat down to write one, the same 30 minutes of 'where do I save the draft, what tone am I using, do I have a checklist' ate the actual writing.
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JSON vs YAML vs TOML for AI Prompts (and When to Use Each)
Structured prompts beat prose prompts. The next question is which structured format. Here is the field guide, with copy-paste examples for each.
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How to Cross-Post a Blog Post to LinkedIn Without Sounding Desperate
A 4-part template for turning a 1,500-word blog post into a LinkedIn post that does not feel like a cross-post. Plus the part most cross-posts skip.
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What I Learned From Posting My AI Outputs Publicly
3 months of posting my AI outputs on social media, what worked, what flopped, and the 3 things I learned about sharing work in public.
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Self-Hosting Email: 6 Months In, 3 Things I Learned
A real, honest account of running my own email server for 6 months. The 3 things I learned, the parts I would do differently, and the verdict on whether you should do it.
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Stop Optimizing Your Prompts. Start Collecting Them.
A prompt library is more valuable than a perfect prompt. The case for collecting, not optimizing, with a starter library of 5 prompts that pay for themselves in a week.
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A Weekend Backup Script That Has Saved Me Three Times
A real, working, copy-pasteable backup script with cron, logging, and a 30-day retention policy. Plus the three times it has saved me, with dates.
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A Weekend Project That Made $300 (and the Parts That Did Not)
An honest case study of a small side project: what worked, what flopped, the 7 days of work, the $300 in sales, and the 3 things I would do differently.
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Why Your AI Prompts Suck (and the 3-Field Fix That Works)
Most prompts fail for the same three reasons. The fix is not a longer prompt. The fix is a structured one. Here is the smallest structure that actually moves the needle.