5 School Habits That Make You Worse at Your Job

Being a good student might make you a poor worker. Here are a few habits and behaviors that might serve you well in the classroom but poorly in the…

Nov 10 • 

Dave Anderson

33

3

If Your System Never Fails, That’s the Real Failure

Investments in operations should be at a minimal level that maintains the systems in an acceptable state forever. Poor operations are clearly bad news…

Nov 3 • 

Dave Anderson

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6

2

October 2025

The AWS Outage—Lessons on Worst-Case Scenarios

How bad is the worst-case scenario of your systems? I suspect it's not as bad as the DynamoDB system.

Oct 27 • 

Dave Anderson

28

8 Ways to Stop Being Crushed by Infinite Work

The better you get, the more work finds you. These skills help you survive success without losing your mind. Plus an early life lesson from my Dad.

Oct 20 • 

Dave Anderson

48

3

1

The 4 Major Impacts of Amazon's Decentralization and Ownership Model

Amazon is decentralized and has a strong focus on ownership. This causes various positive and negative impacts. Let's walk through those impacts, and…

Oct 13 • 

Dave Anderson

27

1

4 Problems Managers Run Into - and Practical Solutions

The management job comes with interesting people challenges. Here are four I've run into more than a few times and what to do when they land in your…

Oct 6 • 

Dave Anderson

46

17

September 2025

The 5 Whys in Action: How to Turn Human Mistakes Into Lasting Improvements

When humans inevitably slip, the 5 Whys uncover the real fixes hiding beneath the surface. The 5 Whys expose our weak systems, not our weak people.

Sep 29 • 

Dave Anderson

30

4

1

My Reflections on Bret Taylor’s Podcast Conversation with Shane Parrish About AI and Software Development

From code generation to shifting developer roles to organizational decay, here’s what stood out to me in their discussion.

Sep 22 • 

Dave Anderson

33

9

2

I'll Explain How I Defeated Procrastination, Right After I Watch Another YouTube Video

What do high school students, and experienced professionals have in common? We all unwisely put off our most important work.

Sep 15 • 

Dave Anderson

56

6

1

Day 1 Is About Doing What’s Right. Day 2 Is About Getting Promoted.

The shift from customer obsession to career obsession happens quietly, usually through the hiring process. But as your original leadership team…

Sep 8 • 

Dave Anderson

40

2

1

Work Hard, Stay Busy, and Stay Exactly Where You Are

Busyness feels productive, but without creating space for initiative and higher-impact work, you’ll stay stuck at your current level.

Sep 1 • 

Dave Anderson

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6

3

August 2025

Blockers Are Urgent, While Friction Endures

Blockers trigger fire drills, but friction quietly shapes customer and employee behavior every single day. (Additional bonus included - The Toilet Paper…

Aug 25 • 

Dave Anderson

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6

2