💭 where are you taking me?

Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy my writing. Have a lovely day!

It's been a while, but I'm still motivated to write. The last few days have been quite busy with personal matters, and I haven't been sure which topic to pick next. I have a list of subjects in my notes, but I'd like to spend more time researching most of them.

I'd like to share a thought on habits with you today. This might become a short series on my blog.

I think this is from James Clear's “Atomic Habits” and it helps me a lot to start and stick with some of my habits. The idea is to imagine what will happen if you stick with your habit, or if you skip your habitual action.

An easy example: If I do the dishes now, I'll be in a good mood the next morning when I walk into the kitchen and see that everything is nice and clean. or If I don't do the dishes now, the first thing I'll see when I walk into the kitchen the next morning will be a pile of stuff/work.

This simple thought often nudges me to just do the work right away. The second variant probably works better because avoiding the negative carries more weight than the positive gain. Search for 'negativity bias' if you want to learn more about it.

That's a wrap! Do you think this will work for you too? I hope you enjoyed today's short piece, and I wish you a pleasant day.

#habits #selfimprovement #motivation #lifehack #routine #negativitybias #jamesclear

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I've been doing professional brainwork for years now, and one thing that has always accompanied me is the question of how to get and stay focused. Today, I'm going to share some of my methods with you.

Firstly, this is not a science-backed blog post. I will simply present what works for me.

What are my tools?

This is an open list that I may update in the future.

  • be prepared
  • a pomodoro timer
  • /etc/hosts
  • a sticky note
  • music & noises (+ headphones)
  • breaks
  • coffee

Be prepared

I currently use Logseq (https://logseq.com/) as my knowledge management system, and I also keep track of my tasks in my daily journal there. I think it's important to decide on the task you want to tackle and the outcomes you want to achieve. So, before you start your focused work, make sure you have all the necessary details at hand. Be as precise as possible — your brain will thank you for it!

A pomodoro timer

To be honest, the Pomodoro Technique kind of works for me, but I'm still struggling with it because I'm probably not very disciplined with it. What I can say is that it helps if you choose a tool that is quick and easy to use and looks and feels good.

/etc/hosts

If you're a tech person, you probably know about this one. /etc/hosts is a file found on UNIX-like systems. In very simple terms, it allows you to map names (hosts) to IP addresses. To block time-consuming websites, I use an automatically run script to change the content of this file. There are more convenient solutions, such as browser add-ons, but this one works best for me.

A sticky note

During a focus period, your brain will bring thoughts to the surface. I write these down — not all of them, of course — which helps to clear my mind. If it's important, I won't forget it. For me, a physical note works best here. I usually throw away this sticky note after a few days and move stuff to my digital notes.

Music & noises

I can focus better when I'm listening to music or other relaxing sounds (for example https://moodist.mvze.net). Headphones are better than speakers.

Breaks

If you use the Pomodoro Technique, you'll naturally get this. I typically take too few breaks, so this one is a reminder for me as well.

Coffee

☕ I admit it, this little drug is part of a productive day for me.

That's it for today, let me know how you make your brain turn energy into positive results! 🧠

#logseq #focus #work #pomodoro

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As the title suggests, this is a short technical post.

I spent too much time today trying to figure out how to fix my GitLab pipeline after upgrading the Ruby version in a Rails app from 3.4.2 to 3.4.5.

The problem

I have two jobs that connect to the MySQL 8.4 database service: one for testing migrations and one for the RSpec test suite. Both jobs failed quickly with the following error message:

ERROR 2026 (HY000): TLS/SSL error: self-signed certificate in certificate chain
bin/rails aborted!
failed to execute: `mysql`

The solution

I'm still not sure what the root cause of the issue is, but I think it's related to the Ruby Docker images I use. I've switched from ruby:3.4.2-slim to ruby:3.4.5-slim. I realized that I have to disable SSL certificate verification within the MariaDB client, so i added the following to my Dockerfile:

RUN echo "[client] \ndisable-ssl-verify-server-cert" >> ~/.my.cnf

And voilà, my jobs are running like a charm again!

I hope this is helpful for you. Please bear in mind that disabling the SSL connection is usually undesirable in production environments. Have a good day and happy debugging!

#ruby #ruby345 #rails8 #mysql2gem #debugging #rails

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In my previous post, I announced that I would explain why I'm writing on this blog and what you can expect. So, here we go!

Why did I choose to share my thoughts with the world?

To be honest, I didn't think much about it, but the following factors influenced my decision:

  • WriteFreely shows me how many views a post has, which motivates me to publish new content.
  • It feels exciting to produce something for the public. Maybe someone can relate to some of my thoughts — isn't connection what we as humans search for?
  • I plan to share ideas and things that work for me, so hopefully some of my readers will benefit from them too.
  • Writing forces me to think about how to express my thoughts clearly. I think I can benefit from this at work and in my relationships. I want to improve my focus skills.
  • It's fun — I can already say this after publishing only one post!

What topics will I cover?

I have decided not to focus on a specific topic or purpose. The reason is that I don't want to restrict myself, so that writing feels easy. I want to be able to write about whatever is on my mind. However, I can share some key areas (please ignore the overlap; this is just a rough, non-exhaustive list): Photography, software development, psychology, meditation, human behavior, productivity, books, music, food, open home automation.

How frequently will you share new content?

I plan to publish roughly one post a week. The posts won't always be long, but I'll try to give you something to think about every time I hit the publish button. I want to make this a healthy habit.

That's a wrap (I've always wanted to write that!). Enjoy your day!

#writinghabit #newblog #writefreely

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After reading James Clear's Atomic Habits (I think I bought it during the pandemic), I have come to see habits as a major concept by which I shape my life. Occasionally, I establish or adapt habits in the hope that they will improve my life, the lives of my fellow human beings, and the world.

Let me tell you about three habits that spring to mind right now:

  • At the end of my workday, I write down some key points about what happened today, how I felt, and anything else on my mind regarding work.
  • I always tidy up immediately in my kitchen and living room. For example, I put the plates in the dishwasher straight away instead of leaving them on the work surface. I also use the time it takes for my coffee maker to brew me a cup to tidy up anything that's lying around.
  • I usually have a small handwritten notepad where I write down the current weekday and date, as well as things I don't want to forget. It's less of a to-do list and more a way of moving thoughts out of my brain. It's always on my desk in front of me, together with a nice pen – currently an 'eco-friendly plantable pen' – which I brought back from holiday last year.

What are your habits, and how do you think they influence your life?

Note: In my next post, I will talk briefly about why I am writing this blog and what you can expect from it.

—

This was the first post on my new tiny blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it! On the topic of the above, I want to establish a writing habit here. Although I'm primarily doing this for myself, I'm open to any suggestions on how to make my posts more interesting for you.

Enjoy your day!

#jamesclear #atomichabits #writinghabit

If you like my blog, I would appreciate it if you spread the word :)
Follow my Mastodon profile: https://social.tchncs.de/@whereareyoutakingme Follow my blog on the Fediverse: @whererutakingme@text.tchncs.de