Pomodoro Technique Illustrated - A Brief Review

If you would like to be more productive and you haven't looked into the Pomodoro technique, you need to get a hold of the new Pragmatic Bookshelf book, Pomodoro Technique Illustrated, by Staffan Nöteberg.

I had heard about the Pomodoro technique, and knew it had something to do with a kitchen timer, but that was about the extent of my understanding of this powerful technique. Staffan Nöteberg not only shows us how we can become much more productive with the Pomodoro technique, but he also shows us just how much we can learn from a cucumber and an artichoke. (You'll just have to read the book to understand that one.) Staffan's writing style and illustrations make this book easy and fun to read, but it's the simplicity and the "why didn't I think of that" nature of the technique that really pulls you in.

We may have hours in a day to spend to accomplish a task, but it's nearly impossible (for some of us, entirely impossible) to spend that time focused on that task without distractions and interruptions. The Pomodoro technique takes that into account with the obvious (in hindsight) observation that though we may not be able to focus on one thing for a lengthy period, we probably can for a short one.

Using a timer to discipline ourselves to focus on one thing for a short time (typically 25 minutes, but you can start smaller) is a key component of the technique, but there's more to it than that. It is a whole system of capturing, prioritizing, tracking and accomplishing what we want to get done. All of this is done with the simplest of tools: a timer, a piece of paper, and a pencil.

It's kind of like breaking your work day into a series of 25 minute iterations, complete with a micro-retrospective after each one. Then a break - to clear your mind, check email, Twitter, Groovyblogs, etc. Then back to it again for another iteration.

Just like with a development process, you may get some benefit from using pieces of the technique, like the timer, but you'll get much more if you use the whole thing. This book is a great way to get started. Once you do, you'll want to give it some time to get into the habit. I'm still working on it myself, and I have already seen an improvement.

Pomodoro Technique Illustrated is now shipping. You can get your copy and get started at http://pragprog.com.

There goes the timer. Finished just in time!

Grails: A Quick-Start Guide Beta

I am thrilled to announce that the Pragmatic Programmer's first Grails book is now in beta! You can find more details here: http://pragprog.com/titles/dkgrails/grails

Grails: A Quick-Start Guide (also known as GQuick) is aimed at helping developers learn Grails in a hurry. I got the idea for this book through my experience working with a team of Java web developers who were new to Grails. This book would have been a great help to us then and I'm hoping it will be a help to others in similar situations. I am also looking at this book as a contribution to humanity: helping all those poor souls who are struggling day in and day out with JSP, Struts, or (as I was) with JSF & EJB. So, if you know someone like that, go to the Prags website, download a copy and change a life!

The beta means that you can purchase an eBook which contains the first 2/3 of the book and get regular updates as it gets completed. You can also post errors and suggestions to help make the book better. When it's all finished you get the complete edited eBook. There is also an option to pre-purchase the paper book which should ship later this year (I'm hoping for September or October).

One last word about the Pragmatic Programmer's ebooks in general. They are awesome! You don't just get a PDF. Your Prag ebook is available in PDF, epub (for iPhone) or mobi (for the Kindle). You don't have to choose just one either, you can download a copy in any or all the formats. I have several Pragmatic Programmer's titles on my iPhone and they look great.

Pragmatic Grails Book in the Works!

I've always been impressed with the Pragmatic Programmers: as software artisans, as writers and as publishers. From a developer's perspective, you just can't beat the Pragmatic Programmers books. Not only do you have books written by developers for developers, you have books published by developers for developers, and often you have books edited by developers for developers.

When it comes to Groovy books, again, the Pragmatic Programmers shine. There are several good Groovy books out there. (Who can ever forget GinA?) But if I had to be stranded on a desert island with only one Groovy book (sounds kind of fun actually... can I bring my family?), it would have to be either Programming Groovy or Groovy Recipes, both Pragmatic titles.

All that to say that I am thrilled to announce that the Pragmatic Programmers will be coming out with their first Grails book! I don't know what it will be called or when it will ship, but it will be a "quick start guide," aimed at meeting the needs of all those new converts you are all out there making, as well as the untold millions of Spring users who are only a single Graeme Rocher demo away from becoming Grails users.

Another really cool thing for me about this new book is that I get to write it! I am almost as excited by this opportunity as I am overwhelmed by the responsibility. It is a big challenge, but I will do my best, and with God's help we'll soon have a book that can help rescue all those poor developers who are still suffering with Struts and JSF.

Another side benefit: with this task along with GroovyMag, I think I finally have a good excuse for my infrequent blog entries. :-)

I want to give a big Thank You to the folks at the Pragmatic Programmers for putting their trust in me and for their support behind the Groovy and Grails community.