I sent my first blog post Hi, I’m A Bit Gamey in September 2020, during Covid lockdowns. As I indicated in that post, My mission is to help you understand the mobile app development process by sharing my progress as I develop and launch my own apps.
I post on Sunday mornings to over 500 readers. This is my 70th post.
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. - Terry Pratchett
Thank you for being open minded.
Top 5 posts
Each heading is a link to the associated A Bit Gamey post.
1. Our Unfair Advantages
Life can seem unfair and, indeed, often it is. How do people get ahead? The greatest rewards do not necessarily come to the hardest workers. Success comes to those who exploit their unfair advantages, competitive benefits which often are not worked for. The good news is that we all have a unique set. To illustrate this, for aspiring basketball players being tall is a significant advantage. Shorter people have the odds stacked against them. Unfair advantages are explored in relation to: Money, Intelligence, Location, Education, Status plus Mindset (foundational).
2. How to Join the New Rich
The New Rich are those who create opportunities for themselves to become wealthy by leveraging knowledge and creativity. A key aspect is knowing what to do, with whom and when. To join the New Rich we need to be open minded, perpetual learners. This post examines Naval Ravikant’s Tweet Thread: How to Get Rich (Without Getting Lucky).
3. Make Time
We are constantly busy and there is no end to do list. We often feel guilty that important things, relating to work, finances, relationships and health, do not progress sufficiently. This post shares the framework I use that helps me be more intentional and productive. It’s based around a four step process that gets repeated every day: Highlight, Laser, Energise and Reflect.
4. Creative Momentum
Creative work is challenging. In my experience, writing this blog and developing mobile apps, it does not get any easier, but is hugely rewarding. This post describes hacks I use to establish and keep creative momentum going: 1. Find a creative time/place, 2. Practice the thing I want to do and 3. Walk every day.
5. Network Effects - Growing Pains
The network effect describes a situation where a product becomes more valuable as user numbers grow. When the telephone was introduced 140 years ago its value to users increased rapidly as more people joined the network. Many of the world’s most popular and valuable apps, including Facebook, Twitter and Uber, have effectively exploited network effects. This post explores a five stage framework for creating, growing and defending a network based product: 1. Cold Start, 2. Tipping Point, 3. Escape Velocity, 4. The Ceiling and 5. The Moat.
Other resources
A Bit Gamey archive posts by Phil Martin
Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
Blog Well. Think Well. post by Phil Martin
I wish you a very Happy Christmas and New Year break. Let me leave you with a quote.
If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. – Milton Berle
Have fun.
Phil…