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6 Comments

Status Dumps to be more productive, happier, and avoid burnout as an engineer

A Status Dump is a brief timestamped summary that you write at the end of the day. It has four components:

  1. Date
  2. Status
  3. Next step for tomorrow
  4. Blockers or Questions

Status Dumps make it easier to pick back up quickly when you start again. It also allows you to more fully let go of your workload while you’re away.

Full example

[Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash]

Do you use Status Dumps? What information do you put in them? Are there any similar processes that you follow?

  1. 1

    I've never used status dumps, and don't really see any real use for them.
    I have a simple todo list, and I just cross off items from it.

    1. 1

      Thanks @johnt2021! Do you have an example TODO list you can share? curious how detailed you tend to get?

      1. 1

        Here's my todo for tomorrow (not sure if I'll finish it tomorrow though):

        copy "Property-name" movement to Clipboard (keyframes) => "Copy <property-name> keyframes to clipboard"

        • or , copy All visible movements to Clipboard (keyframes)
          Paste movement (keyframes)
          -- like, copy top/left movements from one item to another (like, sometihng inside the mask)
        • look to see if the property actually exists, before pasting it
          Delete All Keyframes

        don't allow dropping shapes/masks over audio

        allow for a sound effect to be dropped onto an object - thus linking it to it, so once you position it, i will move it along with the object

        envato elements -> about using sounds

        text: allow background as rectange (+ corner radius)

        default keyframe move -> accelerate

        pricing page: "Pay securely via Stripe"

        presets

        transitions: make sure they don't exceed their limits

        1. 1

          awesome - you do a really great job of breaking things down small so I imagine you never really stop midway through a checkbox item. I think that's a great approach too.

          An advantage of using status dumps for me is that it lets you stop in the middle and add any details/issues you've run into that may not have been included in the original check list.

          1. 1

            Thanks😎

            An advantage of using status dumps for me is that it lets you stop in the middle and add any details/issues you've run into that may not have been included in the original check list.

            You can do that here too. And if you have a versioning system (you should!), that's basically what you add (title + description) when you do a checkin.

            But yeah, if status dumps work for you, use them😁

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