Why I Needed to Build Something Slowly Again

00:01 — Opening

Hey — welcome to Slow Builds.
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So the first video on the channel was about what this channel is going to be about.
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This one is going to be the why.
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And yeah… that last video was my first YouTube video ever.
It was pretty rough.
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My wife was pretty clear on how rough it was.
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For this one I still have a script — but I’m using it more as a guide.
I’m gonna look away. I’ll glance at it.
So there might be some pauses while I re-zone and find my place.
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That’s just me doing this… as me.
So I can get through it without being too nervous.
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And listen — I’ve still gotta figure out the lighting,
I’ve gotta figure out the mic,
and I’ve gotta figure out how to get a good flow.
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But that’s kind of the purpose of this channel.
Building slow. Learning as you go.
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So yeah — this video is more about why I’m building this… not what it is.
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01:20 — Autopilot

To bring it back…
a little while ago, life and work were moving great.
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Nothing was bad.
No stress.
It was almost like everything was just… autopilot.
Very automatic.
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Hours would pass.
Days would pass.
Weeks would blow by and you don’t really notice.
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I keep thinking about that movie Click — the Adam Sandler one —
where he fast forwards through life.
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Next thing you know, his kids are grown…
his whole life changed…
because he kept skipping the “small stuff.”
And that’s the stuff that matters.
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And recently, for Christmas, we went on vacation —
and it broke the routine.
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The workouts.
Waking up early.
Going to the gym.
Going to work.
Doing extra work at night.
Making supper.
All those things.
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Because everything was on autopilot.
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But that vacation made me realize something:
I was just moving.
Going through the motions.
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Not really building anything.
Not really growing.
Just living life and trying to get through it.
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And honestly… we all are.
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02:33 — I’ve always built things

And the thing is… I’ve been building things my whole life.
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Systems at work.
Systems in my own life.
Just helping out where I can.
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Building the algorithm.
Habits to stay on track.
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Some habits are great.
Some aren’t.
And you try to break those.
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And then apps — big ones, small ones — working with teams.
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So this wasn’t about not knowing how to build stuff.
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It was realizing I’d stopped being intentional…
about what I was building.
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I was just doing it.
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03:10 — Software is the clearest example

And I’m going to refer to software a lot on this channel,
because it’s what I do for a living.
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So it’s easy for me to see things… and explain things.
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It’s the biggest part of my life.
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And in code… when you’re deep in it —
shipping features, fixing bugs —
you start optimizing for speed.
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How fast can you get it out?
How many can you get out?
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Not like a competition…
but it starts feeling like a race.
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You know the code so well you don’t even have to think.
You just… push it out.
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And I really started to notice this when I had to review one of my coworker’s code.
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Everything worked.
It met the specs.
It had all the requirements.
It did exactly what it was supposed to do.
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But nobody was slowing down to ask:
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Are the specs right?
Is this how users really use the system?
What happens when something breaks…
or someone clicks a different button?
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And that’s when I realized… I do the same thing sometimes.
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Actually — most of the time.
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You fix the bug — it works.
You ship the feature — it passes the specs.
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But then it comes back… because it broke.
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And it’s like… you’re not making things better.
You’re making them work.
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You’re putting out what people expect…
but you’re not trying to make it the best it can be,
or cover all the bases.
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You’re not taking the time to really look at it.
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04:51 — What slowing down actually does

Slowing down gives you perspective.
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It lets you stop assuming…
that this is what everyone does…
or this is how it needs to be fixed.
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You can actually digest what’s happening.
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You slow down.
You take your time.
You look at it.
You think about it.
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And you can reassess.

Like…
“I think a user would do this…”
but what happens if the system goes down… and then that breaks?
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What should the user see?
What should happen in that case?
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What’s the best way for someone to click around…
jump around…
find what they need?
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What makes their life easier…
and in the end makes the software better?
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And yeah… sometimes I lose my spot.
(reset, small laugh)

So give me a second.
(glance, pause)

Okay.
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So yeah — it helps you reassess.
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And by doing all that…
you build a better product.
You build better systems.
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And if you apply the same mindset to your life…
it’s a better life.
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05:50 — What this video is (and isn’t)

So this is not a launch video.
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This is not a reset from video one.
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This is Slow Builds… getting into it… figuring it out.
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And this is really just explaining why I’m doing this.
Not what the channel is about —
but why I feel like I need to do this.
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Because slowing down forces me to pay attention.
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To name what I’m working on.
Name what I’m doing.
And why I’m doing it.
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If nothing else… this becomes a record of showing up —
even when progress is small…
and motivation isn’t consistent.
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It never is.
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You work out every day and you don’t see results.
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You write code all day and you keep hitting bugs.
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It always happens.
Nobody’s ever satisfied.
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You’re always gonna hit walls.
But it’s about pushing through… and keeping going.
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06:40 — Close

This isn’t about outcomes.
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This is about continuing.
Always showing up.
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I didn’t need to build something big.
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I need to build something honest.
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So this channel is me trying to do that.
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I’m gonna show my progress with the things I’m working on,
talk about different stuff as I go…
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…and this is where we start from here.