manual override

there is something i noticed about myself – oftentimes, when faced with a problem, i immediately jump to the technical means of solving it, which usually implies building some sort of automation. after that jump, the initial problem becomes less and less important, while i am speeding away, thinking through the technical details.

it turns out that sometimes an excel spreadsheet and a manual process is far superior solution, although it might hurt your ego and make you feel vaguely dirty.

another variation of the above is fascination with “cool” tech (for your definition of “cool”) – i noticed that sometimes i would use every opportunity to startup wireshark or Process Monitor and gloriously wallow in data, gleefully probing tiniest details. it turns out that almost always there are better tools out there that can get the job done with less noise.

so as a personal first-line defense, i opt for trying to ask the right questions early on – perhaps a manual solution would do, or a problem really is a non-issue.

it seems that too much knowledge may be a curse, but the real challenge is to keep your personal toolbox organized.