The value of agile development has been espoused by many during the past decade, but for those not in the software industry(and for many that are), it’s sometimes hard to understand why quick iteration is a good idea, so I’ve come up with a few concrete, common sense examples to help anyone understand why several fast turnarounds are preferable to a single large deadline. Ready, think hard about this - would you rather:

• have three two-hour work sessions or one six-hour work session?
• eat one three-pound hamburger in a single sitting or three one-pound hamburgers in three sittings?
• watch three two-hour movies or one six-hour movie?

For those having trouble deciding, I’ve put my suggestions in italics. If you disagree with my suggestions, you are likely an outlier or out lying to yourself about your capability.

I finally got around to reading John Maeda’s book “The Laws of Simplicity“. Under 100 pages, the book is an easy commitment and can be read over a couple of coffee breaks.

Simplicity and organization are near and dear topics to my heart, so I happy to report that I believe John creates clarity around some important topics that other efficiency books obfuscate somewhat. He also lends some humanity to the topic of organization, which is sorely lacking in other literature, which typically address information and habit. His seventh law, emotion, specifically addresses the concept of Aichaku, the Japanese term for the attachment one can feel for an item, and how this concept can lead to better design. Having carried a Palm device for a decade and now an iPhone, I can deeply relate to this concept. Each time I upgrade such a device to the newest model, it takes time for my old attachment to fade and a new one to grow, even if the device is theoretically identical to the last.

In addition to emotion, Maeda includes trust as one of his core laws, and he discusses the concept of omakase, translated “I leave it up to you.” I believe the short discussion of the concept alone is enough to warrant reading this book.

Watch out for acronyms, this book is full of them, and luckily also full of self-deprecating humor about them.

The many deep positives of the book outweigh the trivial negatives, so this book makes it to my definitely worth reading list.

If you do any serious thinking about startup companies, you’ll quickly recognize that they don’t consist of very much. In the beginning, there is only a group of people who may or may not have an idea they are looking to make a reality. So it’s the lucky group that’s got people, an idea, and maybe a nice pot of freshly brewed coffee and some day-old pizza.

Many first-time entrepreneurs make the mistake of thinking their idea is their asset, but the reality is that the team of people working on the idea better be more valuable than the idea, or they’re in trouble. The world is built on people, and ideas, although important, are secondary.

So how do you know you’ve got the right people and that they make a good team? Skillsets, intra-team communications, personal networks, personal desires, and many other factors play into the effectiveness of a team. Only time working together can tell you, and the right team in the beginning isn’t necessarily the right team later in a venture’s life.

Investing time in your team is the only way to make your venture successful and keep it that way. Don’t ignore your greatest asset.

I put this blog into deep freeze on July 15th of last year because I was in the process of simplifying my life and narrowing my activities in an effort to produce more focus on a specific project. I realized that this decision was a major error on my part.

The act of personal publishing had been contributing both to my clarity of thought, personal focus, and to my quality of life. Imposing even a 30 minute requirement to write on a daily basis reduced the time available to me for other activities, but the focused thinking and writing time also improved the effectiveness of the rest of my day.

Writing conveys many benefits to the author, and publishing - the act of putting forth what one has written for anyone to read - creates additional rewards.

It’s time for me to claim those rewards once again.

If you are looking for a new neighborhood in your existing area or are moving to an area with which you are unfamiliar, look no further for the perfect tool to help you in your search for that perfect place to live. Neighborhood Scout a service by Woonsocket, RI, based Location Inc. just launched a complete revamp of their already popular neighborhood search service.

The new launch includes a much-improved user interface, some very unique nationally-comparable school district ratings, and crime statistics at the neighborhood level. Worth checking out.