I can't get anything done
I feel this almost everyday now. I just feel like I cannot accomplish anything during the day. To be honest, I have between 3-4 different projects going at any given time and every day I go home I feel like I haven't actually made any progress. Most of my time is spent either answering questions from people, or teaching them concepts/ideas that I've learned over time. Most people stop here and get angry that they just aren't accomplishing anything. Most people begin writing blogs and tweets about how they aren't getting anything done. The thing is, you're actually doing more than you think!
How you're doing more than you think
Obviously there are certain instances where this isn't the case; but if you're like me and answering questions and helping other people learn concepts and ideas that you've learned, you're actually doing more than you think. Many people understand the concept of the "force multiplier," the idea that if you train N people to work 50% of your capacity, you are actually performing N*0.5 work. This is obviously pretty straight forward; but it's important to reflect and realize what it means.
Why am I writing this?
I think many times we, especially as developers, get caught up int he concept that we must be programming to accomplish anything. Yet sometimes, it's the knowledge that we disperse that makes us more valuable than just churning out large chunks of code all the time. The next time you think you're not getting anything done, take a minute and think about everything else that you did and reflect on the fact that you're getting more done than you think!
