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Using a logbook to improve your programming

routley.io

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Re: Using a logbook to improve your programming

#11

Post by taeric »

leviathan wrote: post #2

This article seems lacking some examples. I have found that such ideas are nice in theory, but when it comes to practice, they tend to fall short. So the author says that it's a good idea to write logbooks, and that it will help. But no mention on how it would help, and what would you actually do with them after you write them up. A few concrete examples would have been nice. If the idea is to help you solve the prob…

Advice of this sort is tough. I really really want something prescriptive.

I suspect it is ninety percent confirmation bias. Looking back at successes and assuming something in common of all of them had to be contributive.

Not claiming it is all luck. Just saying that outside signals usually bear more meaning than given credit.

Re: Using a logbook to improve your programming

#12

Post by kilon »

I don’t keep a log but I use pen a paper to create diagrams which visualize my problem and potential solutions. It has been very helpful and good excuse to rest my eyes from the monitor. I don’t care about dates cause I like to work in a chaotic kind of way and I don’t like planning ahead I prefer exploration and critical thinking during execution.

Re: Using a logbook to improve your programming

#13

Post by mattfrommars »

I find this interesting. Mainly because, I've been trying to implement similiar strategy on my daily works to fight off low productivity hours and really figure out where all my time is going. One of the things I've been doing is noting down the time and date when I set to do things. Seeing something similar presented in the post with more formal and clean approach made me happy - as in being on the right track.

But than again, there was TED talk of all this organization is ultimately shifting the energy from actual. Which led me reducing number of 'productivity' application and sticking with a few.

Wunderlist Onenote Evernote - mainly for the phone.

Re: Using a logbook to improve your programming

#14

Post by henryslater »

iAMAGuest wrote: post #10
henryslater wrote: post #7

In between commit messages, bugs and design docs, I'm not sure what I'd put in a log book.

- The logic/design of parts of the code base which you might newly encounter - What work was done for the day, yes you might use something like Jira but a journal can be also good at the same time - New things you learn. etc etc etc

Each to their own of course but it seems to me, there's better places for all of that. If there's logic or design that's complicated and not properly commented or documented, then that's worth doing and sharing with the team.

Work done for the day for me is typically captured in commits or bug updates - that way my colleagues can easily take over if I win the lottery or are suddenly taken ill.

And stuff I learn is learned, so I don't need to write that down :-)

Working in a team, shared information is critical and logbooks just aren't the best way to achieve that.

Re: Using a logbook to improve your programming

#16

Post by iAMAGuest »

henryslater wrote: post #14
iAMAGuest wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- The logic/design of parts of the code base which you might newly encounter - What work was done for the day, yes you might use something like Jira but a journal can be also good at the same time - New things you learn. etc etc etc

Each to their own of course but it seems to me, there's better places for all of that. If there's logic or design that's complicated and not properly commented or documented, then that's worth doing and sharing with the team. Work done for the day for me is typically captured in commits or bug updates - that way my colleagues can easily take over if I win the lottery or are suddenly taken ill. And stuff I learn is le…

> If there's logic or design that's complicated and not properly commented or documented, then that's worth doing and sharing with the team

It's the meta also, it is capturing the models mentally and ideas and notes. This reduces cognitive load, and actually by making notes increases the chances of you remember something.

> And stuff I learn is learned, so I don't need to write that down :-)

Hey if thats the case then fine, but generally memory deteriorates, recall becomes more difficult and the details change.

> Working in a team, shared information is critical and logbooks just aren't the best way to achieve that.

Log books are not generally for the team, they are for you.

But as you say each to their own.

Re: Using a logbook to improve your programming

#17

Post by gavinpc »

krupan wrote: post #6

Emacs org-mode is great for this.

I've been using org-mode for about ten years to document moment-to moment progress on tasks. I'll give a basic summary of the problem, copy in significant commands and results as I run them, and ask the next questions to drive the next steps.

Some features that make Org useful for this:

- I'm clocked into the task so I can always jump to it easily, even as I hop around other emacs buffers

- supports code snippets with formatting in any language

- it's easy to add timestamped notes or write in free form

- can export the subtree to HTML or Markdown or Latex/PDF, to share with others

- GitLab will apply basic Org formatting (as with markdown), so I can share them directly just by pushing

- supports regex search across all agenda files, regardless of where they are. This is nice if, say, I know I had a similar issue with e.g. some docker command but don't remember which project it was on

Re: Using a logbook to improve your programming

#18

Post by lucisferre »

Based on a some of the comments so far I think people are glossing over the key elements of the logbook. This isn't simply an activity log.

The first step is to describe the nature of the problem as well your planned solution before beginning. I think this can be a pretty powerful practice in being mindful.

All to often I find myself jumping into a half-baked solution while at the same time having only half-understood the problem.

Re: Using a logbook to improve your programming

#19

Post by meesterdude »

gavinpc wrote: post #17
krupan wrote: post #6

Emacs org-mode is great for this.

I've been using org-mode for about ten years to document moment-to moment progress on tasks. I'll give a basic summary of the problem, copy in significant commands and results as I run them, and ask the next questions to drive the next steps. Some features that make Org useful for this: - I'm clocked into the task so I can always jump to it easily, even as I hop around other emacs buffers - supports code snippets wit…

i'd be interested in learning more about this and maybe seeing some real-worldish examples.

Re: Using a logbook to improve your programming

#20

Post by cgrusden »

I did not go to college/university for engineering, but just hearing the tools of 'real' engineers is great.

I've been opening up Jekyll in the morning as the start of my day. I write the blog post for the work I'm about to do. I've noticed that I'm getting better at explaining the problem clearly and the solution. When there is a paragraph that feels out of place I yank it into a different file immediately to get it out of the current flow of the post. The paragraph felt out of place because it was probably a distraction from the problem Im trying to solve today. Also, the great thing about this technique is that I have a blog post at the end of the work day that I can look back on and say, "Damn, I shipped something" if I didn't feel like I shipped anything else (common problem in our field of software developers)

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