Martin Maricak

15-minute one-off task: "Not important enough to do manually."

*Spends 1 hour trying to automate it*

*Fails*

*Ends up doing it manually*

Just as I was thinking about how tech is (again) challenging how trust works in society through AI…

The goal is to find your balance, and protect it. And the best way how to do that is to work on your own terms, and dodge energy draining back and forths.

☀️ Finally, switch locations sometimes:

→ Connect with peers for shared energy & momentum
⁠⁠→ Try working from cafes / co-works

⏰ Then hack your energy patterns:

→ Learn to listen when your energy peaks and dips
→ Build your schedule around your energy levels
→ Save admin work for low-energy hours

📝 First, master comms before mastering the schedule:

→ Write with brutal clarity (lists, short sentences, no fluff)
→ Drop links to all docs you mention (simple + helpful)
→ Optimise for easy decisions & yes/no answers
→ Explain why it matters for better context
→ Bundle your comments and feedback

Here's the most insane designer productivity hack remote work has unlocked:

Protect your peak hours. Here's a simple framework 🧵

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Image credit: Alessandro Malossi

Thanks!

I don't see a lot of design work being shared here. Let's fix that. ✨

Many products move to the next features, leaving the v1 neglected. That’s what I call a permanent stopgap: Temporary solutions have a funny way of becoming permanent.

“Done better than perfect” isn’t working if you lose momentum after the “done” part.

Everyone knows 80/20 rule, but did you hear about permanent stopgap?

Here’s how it goes: You're racing to ship v1. Obviously, you cut corners. “There will be a plenty of time to polish it later”…

...but then there isn’t.

I think the real trap behind MVPs is what I call a permanent stopgap.

Many products move to the next features, leaving the v1 neglected: “Done better than perfect” isn’t working if you lose momentum after the “done” part.

…

→ Claims they’re strategic, but can’t talk with stakeholders.

→ Calls it a design system, but it’s just buttons, and inputs.

→ Has never built a business but judges everyone else's.

🚩 Designer red flags:

→ Doesn’t need research, since they are a smartphone user.

→ Can’t stop talking about their NFT collection of gradients.

→ Is data-informed, but only by data they agree with.

→ Says "design partner", but offers "no meetings".

…

I've added you. 👍

award-whining design studio

I've created a starter pack with people who design and build (digital) stuff.

There are talented people like @joeyabanks.bsky.social, @sarahedo.bsky.social, @gergely.pragmaticengineer.com, @fonsmans.com, @una.im, @rsms.me, @gavin.social, and many more.

Who else should I include?

I heard rummors there is a new product in the works, and it's called FigHam.

ArrayList<ArrayList> arrayList = new ArrayList<>();

After the aliens made First Contact, one human asked:
"How did you find us? Radio signals?"

"No, it was by chance, a few millennia ago."

"So you waited for us to mature?"

"Our leaders did, yes."

"So-"

"But at last they accepted that you won't."

"Oh..."

"You may keep laughing."
#MicrroFiction

@stephencolbert.bsky.social : "Are you afraid of artificial intelligence taking over?"

@mrrickygervais.bsky.social : "I'd love for any intelligence to take over."

🙇‍♂️

Don't forget Lucida Grande

I seriously thought Ariana Grande is a typeface.

🤷‍♂️

This has strong Twitter before 10 years vibes.

I like it.

I feel like learning something new. Designers on Bluesky, help me decide: What should I take a look at?

Feel free to share any good learning resources. 🙏