Quotes Monitor
I tend to stick things to my monitor — quotes and mottoes to help me keep my head screwed on right while I work.
Right now I have my long-standing reminder to “Pay. Attention.” (It’s those little slips of attention, in my experience, that usually make the difference between a comfortably met deadline and a last-minute panic.)
Below that is a quote from Bill Cosby — this one is on a little sticky note that will probably get changed out for a new quote soon — that reads, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”
And then I have my Kent Beck card, which evolves but always features at least one Kent Beck quote.
There’s my web development mantra: “Make it run, then make it right, then make it fast.”
And also, currently, “Optimism is an occupational hazard of programming, feedback is the treatment.” (This is to remind me to Build Realistic Project Schedules! Give yourself a margin of error because you will need it!)
And finally, Beck’s Extreme Programming key concepts: Communication, Simplicity, Feedback, Courage, Respect.
Which — in addition to making web/software development projects run more smoothly — just seems like a good way to live your life.