Eggsperiments

I am a big fan of eggs. My lunch probably includes two to three eggs almost every day – usually in omelet form, but sometimes in an egg sandwich. I have done many different egg experiments (or eggsperiments, as I like to call them) over the last year. Most of my eggsperiments have tended toward the good, but some have been mediocre. It has been a lot of fun, and my egg experiments have tended toward better over time.

What if in software development you regularly try different experiments. It could be trying things a slightly different way or using another framework. Maybe instead of just using the framework you are most accustomed to, you try the same concept in some other framework.

I usually don’t recommend using different frameworks for anything that is part of your typical job, but I do recommend quickly trying small experiments during your off time. Try to implement something like what you have been building but using different technology.

Should you be learning in your non-work time? Anyone in the software business needs to realize you have to love learning. You must always be learning, and not all that learning can occur during work hours. Many professions require outside-of-work learning time, and software is no exception.

These experiments can be small changes in many parts of your life. Slight adjustments to your workouts, little tweaks to your daily order, nearly anything lends itself to taking different approaches. And they may yield some good results.

These many experiments need to be a part of your life. They just need to happen. You must keep trying different ideas, just like my eggsperiments.

If we leverage experiments as a continual focus on improving, we can consistently make things better. Much like the omelets, each version might not get a little better, but the overall trend will be positive.