Brian DeVries

An Evening Gym

2024-12-21T15:05:54Z

I sit on a fold-out camp chair in the gymnasium. My ears pick up the constant echo of balls hitting the floor while several voices bounce of the walls. Children are running back and forth. Intense fluorescent white light beats down from the high ceilings. The scent of freshly cleaned court gently brushes my nose. Cool air from outside floods into the gym, refreshing all inside. This is my six-year-old son's basketball practice.

The scene reminds me of my own many evening practices as a middle and high school athlete. The coaches instruct with a firm voice; There isn't any time for explanation during the drills. Several groups are running various drills, causing the voices of several coach's voices to overlap. The nearest coach is the most audible, speaking loud enough to be heard over the rest of the noise.

At the age of six, the coach's aim is to introduce the players to the rules and flow of the game. But despite the lowered expectations, this gym still embodies the same spirit of the game as a basketball practice at any skill level. Some combinations of smells, sounds, and feelings can't be reproduced by anything but the authentic setting that first introduced them. In this case, that's a basketball court in late fall with excited players and coaches improving their skills and working together as a team.

What's a scene you will never forget because of the combination of senses you experienced?

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

My latest endeavor

2024-06-18T12:22:00Z

For the last 6 years, I've had a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit. I like trying new things, and it's fun to make money from my efforts as well. Over the years, I've made money from woodworking, programming, graphic design, and more. Now I've found another fun avenue to explore: custom stickers.

Everyone likes stickers, right? They're fun, easy to store and distribute, and economical. Stickers are a good way to share a message or promote a brand and customers love them. I've been working to help small businesses promote themselves with their own custom stickers.

Whether customers already have a design or need one, I have been able to help! Here is the sticker for my first customer. He already had a logo so I took care of the printing for him.

After that, my second order came from a friend who wanted a custom design. For this design, if you know, you know 😛

Beyond printing stickers in bulk for customers, I have been dabbling with some designs of my own. I haven't printed any of my own designs yet, but I'm planning to once I decide on a worthy design. I think it'd be cool to have a custom sticker for this website.

I'm just getting started, but it's been really fun so far to bring a few ideas to life. Shoot me an email if you'd like some custom stickers printed for a business, an event, or just for fun!

Update 7/1/24: I launched a website for my sticker business, ~~DeVries Decals ↗~~.

Update 12/11/24: Shortly after I launched the previous website, I ended up moving it all over to a different domain, kikkerstickers.com↗.

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

Nine year wedding anniversary

2024-06-13T13:07:00Z

To my lovely, beautiful wife Hannah.

Happy Anniversary Hannah! ❤ I can't imagine living life without you.

We've laughed together, cried together, prayed together, and so much more. Thank you for being a constant through the ups and downs of life.

When we got married half way into college, I don't think either of us could have predicted just how much God would bless us.

Our three sons definitely test our patience at times, but they've also brought immeasurable joy into our lives.

I'm thankful for you. I look forward to making more memories together.

Love, Brian

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

April 2024

2024-05-04T01:40:00Z

Sometimes I find it hard to remember what I did in the last month. Keeping track of my plans and accomplishments on my calendar and in my journal helps me when I feel like I haven't done anything recently. It's similar to a "done" list, where you record what you've accomplished to keep yourself motivated. Anyway, here are some of the things I was up to last month:

My oldest son started spring soccer
We got a trampoline on facebook marketplace for $50
- The kids absolutely LOVE it
My youngest son got a helmet to fix a flat spot on his head
My dog got groomed, she was looking pretty shaggy
4 out of 5 in my family survived a stomach illness 😬
I went up north near Kalkaska, MI to celebrate my brother-in-law as a father-to-be
Some of my coworkers and I helped clean up Pere Marquette beach as a service project with Meijer
I watched the total solar eclipse. It was only 93% totality here West Michigan, but still pretty cool!
We planted a dozen blueberry bushes in our backyard
I built a gazebo on our back deck so we can get some shade this summer
I got my lawn mower up and running with a new blade for the season

So it turns out I've been keeping busy, and that doesn't even include most of my social engagements, church, or extended family plans. It's easy to feel like life is really busy, but forget what I've actually been up to. Reflecting helps me slow down and give thanks to God for his goodness.

Take some time to write out what you've been up to this past month. It's a cathartic process. If you post your reflections on your own site, I'd love to read it. Or if you want to shoot me an email with what you've been up to, that would be awesome too.

Until next time!

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

House Sketch

2024-04-18T23:55:00Z

I drew a sketch of a house that looks similar to mine today. I don't consider myself an artist, but I do enjoy drawing occassionally and learned how to digitize them recently so here it is.

That's me waving in the front there 🙂

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

I'll read it

2024-04-02T00:00:00Z

I enjoy learning about people through their personal websites. It's a piece of them put on the web for others to find and connect through. But many people don't have their own space on the web outside of social media. Nowhere to call "home" online.

Maybe this is your situation right now. Maybe you've thought about setting up a website, but you don't know what to write about or you simply don't know where to start. If that describes you, I want to encourage you to write about whatever you want. Then send it to me, and I'll be your first reader.

It doesn't have to be polished or meet a word count minimum. I have been trying to unlearn the stiff, academic writing style for years. The important thing is to put thoughts out there, both for yourself and others.

Most people won't care about what you have to say, and that's ok. That doesn't stop people from posting on twitter or facebook or instagram. But you'll likely have deeper, more meaningful connections with people through an article on your site than a post on social media. I'd rather receive a thoughtful email than generic likes and comments anyway. You might too.

If you want help getting started, I'm only an email away.

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

Removed web analytics

2024-03-26T00:00:00Z

I removed web analytics from my site. Despite using a more privacy-focused web analytics provider than Google, I realized I was still tracking people who visited my site. And I don't love the idea of doing that.

So I removed the analytics script. No more page view info, no anonymized location data, no trends, no nothin'. And I'm done considering SEO or the algorithms at all when I write.

Websites should be made for people, not search engines and machines. I understand the desire to know the data of page views and search terms. That's why I had analytics in the first place. But if some people who visit my site are blocking trackers, I'm not getting accurate information anyway.

It's never too late to support websites that don't prey on visitors and have a personal touch. Corporate websites have their place, but I want to be a part of the small web.

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

Reducing my online presence

2024-03-14T00:00:00Z

I have contemplated the value of social media in my life for a while now. The first social media account I signed up for was Facebook in 2009 when I was going into high school. Since then, I've had accounts on several other platforms including Snapchat, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, etc.

While there have been some good things to come from being a part of these online platforms, the experience has overall has been net-negative. Over time, I've learned that social media apps are not designed for you and me. They're designed to extract information and/or money from us through data collection and ad revenue while using behavioral psychology to keep us coming back for more.

Is there enough value?

Time management has never been my strong suit so it's not surprising that I used to easily waste hours doom-scrolling social media in high school and college. After some reflection and talking with my wife after we graduated college in 2017, I decided to delete my Facebook account.

I was a little nervous to cut the tie, wondering if I'd miss out on something or make it difficult for people to reach me who didn't have my phone number. But I went forward with it, knowing that I had a 30-day deactivation period where I could log back in to save my account from permanent deletion. I found that I didn't miss it at all and let the account get permanently deleted without remorse!

With this new knowledge that the world wouldn't end when I left social media, I went after Snapchat next. I didn't have any long streaks to keep up or much meaningful communication on the app anyways so zip, I deleted that one too ☠️.

Bye bye, Twitter

Fast forward to this past week, I deleted my Twitter and Reddit accounts as well. I think having fewer places to manage online will sub-consciously free up some mental space. Whether that's true or not, I want to simplify my digital life and pruning accounts is a part of the process.

I still have a few accounts, namely Instagram and LinkedIn. Instagram is mostly used for the occasional good laugh and LinkedIn I use only when I have searched for jobs. Deleting Instagram has crossed my mind multiple times. The only one I have a legitimate reason to keep is LinkedIn for aiding in my career as a Software Engineer.

So far I haven't regretted reducing my online presence on social media platforms and putting more effort into my website and IRL connections. I also know the people who I am closest with are typically in contact via email or phone, not on social media.

Moving forward

I'll continue to assess my online presence. Less is more when it comes to time spent looking at my phone so I want to be extra critical of what get's my attention. Now it's your turn, go think about downsizing how much time you spend on social media!

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

Dinosaurs

2023-08-01T00:00:00Z

My oldest son recently turned 5 years old, and like many boys his age, he is very excited about dinosaurs. He can tell you the names of dinosaurs I've never heard of! His attention to detail and the descriptive language he uses to compare them is so fun to hear.

But perhaps the best part is how he's improved his drawings of them. The Tyrannosaurus Rex has never looked sooo good 😎

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

December Update (2022)

2022-12-08T00:00:00Z

Well, here we are a quarter of the way through December. My kids have informed me we only have 17 days until Christmas (from the Christmas countdown tree) and it doesn't feel like we got access to our house almost 2 months ago already! It's been a busy, fun time for us.

Anyway, I wanted to sit down and reflect on all the things we've already done since moving in. I have a few reasons for wanting to do this.

First, I often forget how much progress has been made when there's so much that still needs to be done. Second, I wanted to record some of these items for future reference anyway, why not share them with anyone who is interested? And third, I don't take the time to reflect very much, but I know it's important.

House accomplishments

So here's a bunch of stuff that's been accomplished already:

I ripped down a bunch of ivy that was growing on the front face of the house. We didn't love how it looked, and it was destroying the trim. I also didn't want it to cause damage to the brick itself down the road.
The backyard had a lot of overgrown plants that I cut down, including an invasive plant called Japanese Knotweed. The knotweed is especially hard to get rid of completely so I'll be battling new shoots of that next spring. It's starting to look a lot cleaner back there, but still needs work.
We had central air conditioning installed 🙌🏼 The prices are going up next year because the way they calculate efficiency ratings is changing so we had it done before 2023.
Just today we had a dumpster hauled away full of junk from the previous owners. When we first moved in, some family helped haul a trailer load of junk away as well. Glad to be rid of it!
I mapped all the circuits in the house to a nice diagram. One breaker kept tripping when we brew coffee in the morning, so I wanted to see if circuits were overloaded or not. It's not terrible, but I'd like to break a few circuits up and to properly ground them. (right now most of the outlets are just two-prong)
The edging in the front yard was brick, but in different spots it was either terribly settled or falling over. I removed all of it and stacked it in the back yard until we decide what to do with it all.
Hannah (my wife) painted the living, kitchen, and dining rooms so far. It's amazing what a coat of fresh paint can do to a room!
Gutters were scheduled to be installed tomorrow, but they're behind schedule so it's been pushed back a week or two. Without gutters, there is a slight leak in the basement when it rains. We'd like to avoid any foundation issues in the future so better just to address that early on.
I've removed the chain-link fence from the back of the yard. Most of that fence was falling apart and there's another fence behind it that belongs to the self-storage company behind us.
For the first few weeks, we didn't have hot water for more than 3 minutes when taking a shower. Turns out, the dip tube was completely missing inside the water heater! My buddy and I replaced that one night and now everything is working as expected. Yay! Hannah is very happy about that!

There are a lot of other small things we've done, but those are the big ones that come to mind. With a list that's 50+ items long, we'll be busy for a while 😅 But we're slowing down our pace so we don't run out of money...

Testing the boundaries

Aside from the house, we've been kept on our toes.

My youngest son has decided it's fun to get out of bed multiple times every night before finally falling asleep ~1 hour after bedtime. So far, none of our punishments have dissuaded him.

Gardening next year

Another thing I've been thinking about is planting a decent garden next spring. I got a book called "Mini Farming" by Brett Markham that's been a good read so far. There's info on how to maximize output with less land, maintaining soil nutrients, raising chickens, etc.

All of this should help save money, reduce reliance on others for food, and be a fulfilling way to spend time outdoors. I'm excited to plan it!

Simplifying digital life

The last thing that's been on my mind is simplifying my digital life. I have well over 300 accounts saved in my password manager. That seems like... a lot. After looking through them, it's clear I don't use quite a few of the accounts anymore.

Beyond the volume of accounts, there is just the shear information overload that happens on a daily basis from browsing online. I'm curious and hungry to learn new things, but at the end of the day it leaves me feeling overwhelmed and drained.

Cutting back my online hyperactivity might be helpful. It's just hard not to click ALL THE LINKS.

Wrapping up the year

As 2022 is wrapping up, I'm thankful for where God has led me and my family. Every year, it amazes me to think about where I was the year before physically, mentally, and spiritually.

See you in the next post!

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

How to add a custom search bar to your eleventy website with duckduckgo

2022-10-19T00:00:00Z

A few weeks ago, I was sprucing up my website's "404 Not Found" page. I had seen some useful 404 pages that offered other web pages to check out instead of just a dead end. One addition I thought would be nice was a custom search bar. It turned out to be effortless with DuckDuckGo.

Customize results page

Duckduckgo offers several query parameters that affect the search results of the page. Go here to find the full list of query parameters.

Here are the parameters I'm interested in:

Parameter	Purpose
search:	The search term, entered by the user.
sites:	The website to search (my website).
kx:	The URL color on the search results page.
ko:	Control search results header.
kaa:	Results page visited link color.
k1:	Control ads on search results page.
k7:	Results page background color.
k8:	Results page text color.
k9:	Results page link color.

Each of these parameters can be represented by a hidden input within a form element as shown below.

<!-- src/partials/search-box.njk -->
<form action="https://duckduckgo.com/" method="GET">
  <input
    type="search"
    name="q"
    id="search-term"
    class="search-txt"
    autocomplete="off"
    placeholder="i.e. work experience" />
  <input
    aria-hidden="true"
    type="hidden"
    hidden
    name="sites"
    value="brianjdevries.com" />
  <input aria-hidden="true" type="hidden" hidden name="kx" value="#777777" />
  <input aria-hidden="true" type="hidden" hidden name="k7" value="#040404" />
  <input aria-hidden="true" type="hidden" hidden name="k8" value="#cccccc" />
  <input aria-hidden="true" type="hidden" hidden name="k9" value="#e03021" />
  <input aria-hidden="true" type="hidden" hidden name="ko" value="-2" />
  <input aria-hidden="true" type="hidden" hidden name="k1" value="-1" />
  <input aria-hidden="true" type="hidden" hidden name="kaa" value="#777777" />
  <button type="submit">Search</button>
</form>

Most of the input fields have a set value. Only the input type="search" element will take custom input (the search terms). All the hidden inputs will be appended to the form url as query parameters when the form is submitted.

The form appears as a simple text box with a search button.

Adding the form in eleventy

The above steps can be implemented on any website. To add the search bar to my eleventy site, I created a nunjucks template for it. It simply comtains the previous form element with all the inputs.

After that, simply include the template wherever you want it to render.

{% include "partials/search-box.njk" %}

Go ahead, give it a try!

Conclusion

Yes, it really is that easy. There are other ways to solve the onsite search problem, but this is my solution for now. I hope you found this helpful!

P.S. I also found a nifty tool that generates a duckduckgo search bar for you. Give it a try or create your own from scratch.

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

10 ways to consume less content

2021-06-07T00:00:00Z

I have an addiction. No, I don't go to anonymous meetings to support others or to get support. This addiction isn't thought of as destructive like drugs or alcohol. But it does affect me on a daily basis.

I'm addicted to information

You might be thinking, "But information is a good thing, right?" Often at the heart of all addictions are things that aren't bad. But when obsessed upon or distorted, they can be debilitating and destructive.

For example, alcohol isn't impairing in modest quantities, but it is when you drink too much. Food is necessary to sustain our bodies, but it causes obesity when you eat too much. Sex is a gift from God, but is destructive when people distort it into pornography.

Overconsumption can lead to imbalance

With information consumption, the more we consume, the less we produce. The less we produce, the less fulfilled we feel so we consume more.

The internet and cell phones have put more information in our pocket than we can fathom. If we don't limit our intake, we can become overwhelmed by the shear volume available. It's also important that when we do consume, we do so with intention.

With a phone or computer nearby, it's hard to resist searching for answers to my latest query. Social media lures me in. The links throughout an article beg me to keep reading. To go further down the rabbit hole. You know the feeling. "What?! I've been on YouTube/Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/etc. for an hour?!"

While I hope that isn't the norm for you, I know how common the struggle is. It doesn't feel good when you realize you burned through productive time like that.

So where do we go from here?

I've been minimizing distractions for a year or two. I'll share some of the tactics that have helped me consume less.

1. App time limits

Most phones now offer the ability to set time limits for specific apps right within the setting. If that isn't the case, there's an app called Freedom that can set time limits across platforms.

2. Website time limits

I found a way to set time limits on websites that are distracting. There's a browser extension called Leechblock. I maintain a list of distracting sites. Then Leechblock engages once I reach the time limit.

3. Turn off notifications for distracting apps

Turning off notifications for distracting apps prevents you from opening them. I turn off notifications for most apps that I don't want bugging me.

4. Notification batching

Notification batching is a newer tactic I've tried. Intercepted notifications are still accessible, but they are delivered at set intervals. I set mine for 8:00AM, 1:00PM, 5:00PM, and 9:00PM.

I'm currently using Spren on android. I'm not sure if there is an option on iPhone.

5. Add friction to get to distracting apps

If there's an app on my home screen that I mindlessly waste time on, I remove it from the main screen so it's harder to get to. If that doesn't help, I hide it. I've uninstalled the most distracting apps.

6. Put your phone in the other room

My phone is where most of my distractions come from. If I need to focus on something or someone, I put the phone in the other room. I'll still hear phone calls, but then I'm less likely to check when notifications do come through.

7. If-Then Planning

I've talked about if-then planning before. Having a planned exit from distractions can help. For example, "If I get distracted, I will close the distracting app." This could be all you need to snap out of a distracting situation.

8. Time box when you allow yourself to get distracted

Allowing yourself time to get distracted and consume information is important. I know I need breaks where I allow my mind to wander. The important thing is to limit those times and respect the limits.

9. Get someone to help hold you accountable

My wife and I know it's important to stay off our phones as much as possible when our kids are awake. We want to give them the attention they deserve. Having each other as accountability partners makes that easier. Finding someone who wants to reduce their distractions as well can be a great way to reach that goal.

10. Reward yourself when you succeed

My last tactic is to reward yourself when you do well. Set a goal for avoiding distractions and information overload. If you achieve your goal, have a reward in mind.

It's a process

These are some of the tactics that I've used and continue to use. I am not as distraction free as I'd like to be, but I have improved. Staying aware of where my time is going will allow me to improve more.

I still have to add distracting sites to my list and frequently prune the apps on my phone. It's a constant process in this age of information, but a worthwhile one. I will continue to guard my time so I can focus on the important things. You should too.

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

My target audience and my one thing

2020-11-16T00:00:00Z

I've spent a lot of time thinking about who my target audience is. Originally I thought I should write content specifically for developers.

Then I thought I should perhaps write about woodworking or other projects I work on.

Now it's whatever I feel like writing about. The truth is that I'm writing for anyone interested in me as a person and for myself.

The purpose of writing

I want to use writing to process my thoughts. That is my purpose for writing at this point.

As a result, I will gain clarity. A byproduct of writing is that I will get better at it too.

As I improve, I might find new opportunities to employ my writing ability.

However, I have other goals apart from writing.

What else I'm working toward

As a technologically inclined person, I enjoy learning to use new tools. I also know that those tools can be very powerful if used correctly.

I've mentioned that I want to develop a web application. There are several reasons I want to do this:

To learn how to write a web app from end-to-end
To solve a problem that I have
To build an asset
To create another income stream
To build wealth for my family
To. Have. FUN!!!

The problem I run into is working on things that don't get me closer to my goal.

I get hung up working on tasks that seem to be making progress, but they're really distracting me from the real work I need to be doing.

My solution

I recently read about a method called "The One Thing." Rather than using a to-do list that focuses on many small tasks, this method involves choosing one big task to achieve for each day.

An extension of this is the 1-3-5 rule. It begins with the one big task, followed by three medium and five small tasks for the day.

The point is that our time and focus are limited. Finding the priority for the day gives a clear goal.

I'll be attempting to focus on one piece at a time to make consistent progress toward my goal. You should too.

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

Making Progress

2020-10-26T00:00:00Z

Ahoy, readers!

Now that it's been over a month with a newborn (2nd kiddo born 9/15), I have an updated daily routine.

Clearly I was being ambitious before. Interrupted sleep makes it difficult to get up at 4:45AM... 😂

Here's my current routine:

Start Time			Item
6:00AM	:	🌄	Wake up, get ready for day
6:15AM	:	📖	Devotions
6:45AM	:	👨‍👦‍👦 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦	Get kids up, then Family time
7:30AM	:	👨‍💻	Day job
4:30PM	:	🥘 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦	Dinner, Family time
7:30PM	:	🛌 👶	Diedrick in bed, then Hold Rhett til feeding
8:00PM	:	💑 💻	Watch TV show with wife, Work on app
10:15PM	:	🛌	Get ready for bed
10:30PM	:	😴	Sleep

There are aspects of this routine I don't love.

My preference would be to work on my app in the quiet of the morning before everyone wakes up. I could then relax in the evenings.

But it's hard enough to get out of bed at 6:00AM right now.

Once we're sleeping through the night again, I'll likely adjust the routine. At least I'm finding some time to put toward my side project.

I also don't like how much TV we're watching right now. Right now though, we like to chill at the end of the day 😛

Progress details

Despite adjusting to 2 kids instead of 1, I've been able to make progress.

I am much more comfortable working with the Vue Framework now. This is what I am using to build my web application.

Vue 3 was recently released so I'm using the most updated version of the framework.

I've finished a few critical steps before developing the app:

Market research
Defined the initial features
Sketched the app layout
Learned the tools to build the app (Vue, Firebase, CSS, HTML, other web technologies...)

At this point I think there is a market simply because so many people are in debt. (Granted, I don't know if they'll pay for my solution)

Worst case scenario: I learn to build an app that functions and helps me pay back my debts.

Best case scenario: People love the product, pay for it, and I can pay down my debt even faster with some of the profits while helping others!

App development

I've been able to work on the app since I did some prep work.

I've improved the payoff data calculation
I've added data management to the app
The chart visual is almost fully implemented

Next up, I'm planning to make it possible to add accounts 👍

When it's released, it will be a small application. But it will hopefully be simple, loveable, and complete. ✔️

Monetizing

I'm nervous about charging money for it. I don't know if anyone will be willing to pay for it.

But I DO NOT want a bunch of free accounts to support with $0 coming in.

Ideally I'll charge $10/month to use this service.

It's going to provide a personalized plan for paying back debt quickly. Other features are in the pipeline.

I want my customers to succeed in paying off their debts. Primary focus will be on student loans, but the system will work for any debt.

Paying debt off with the snowball or avalanche method can save thousands of dollars and years of time. That must be worth the price to some people, right?

Many people pay about $10/month for Amazon Prime, Netflix, and other services that don't help you get ahead financially.

It might be a matter of presenting the value in the right way. I'll figure that out, but first I need to build the app 😉

Onward!

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

Cold Showers and Habit Building

2020-09-28T00:00:00Z

For over 2 months now, I've been turning the water to its coldest setting for 1 minute at the end of my shower. What started as a desire to build resilience has taught me valuable lessons about building habits and consistency.

Start Small

When I first started my cold shower endeavor, I felt ready to go to the max. I thought, "Why not prove that I'm super tough already and can do 1 minute of cold right away?"

But I had tried to do cold showers before. And, you guessed it, I didn't stick with it for more than a week. I wanted this time around to be different.

I found an app by a guy named Wim Hof who is known for pushing his body to the extremes. His recommended approach went something like this:

	Cold Water Time	Sessions
Week 1	15 seconds	5
Week 2	30 seconds	5
Week 3	45 seconds	5
Week 4+	60 seconds	5+

The idea is to gradually adjust to the cold. At first, my body wanted to gasp for air because of the cold. The key was to take deep, slow breaths to calm the nervous system and embrace the discomfort.

After a few weeks, 60 seconds of cold was fully integrated into my routine.

Set Your Default

I've been turning the shower dial to its coldest setting for a couple months. It is what I expect at the end of every shower. But it didn't start that way. I had to reset my default end-of-shower action.

I used to lose track of time standing in the hot water. My mind would wander and I had no trigger to turn the water off. Finishing with cold water gave me a definitive end to the shower.

If-Then Planning

To set a default action, I did some If-Then planning. It follows the template If [situation], then I will [action].

For my cold showers, it looked something like this:

"If I am at the end of my shower, then I will turn the water to its coldest setting for 60 seconds."

Creating an If-Then plan is a powerful tool for habit building. It helps to attach an action to a specific event, ideally one that is somewhat inevitable and recurring.

The recurring nature of the trigger event will also help develop consistency. I believe consistency is one of the most powerful driving forces of long-term success.

Focus on the Journey

Consistent cold showers was the only way to train my body for the 60 seconds of cold that I was aiming for. The steps it takes to get to the goal aren't what most people think about when they hear of achievements.

Small, consistent actions are what build success. Therefore, success isn't a destination; It's a journey.

Great walls are not built with one giant brick. They are built one small brick at a time.

Make small, consistent actions the goal.

Get Comfortable with Discomfort

Consistently taking cold showers isn't relaxing. Your body instinctively wants to get warm again. But it's a great way to get used to being uncomfortable regularly.

Building new habits isn't usually fun. Most people fail to stick to New Year's Resolutions every year because it's hard. Embracing the discomfort will mean you don't back down when things get difficult.

Wrap Up

Cold showers might not be for you, but I have learned many lessons by pursuing them.

1. Starting small lowers the motivation needed to make it happen

"I can easily stand in cold water for 15 seconds!"

2. Setting a default action reduces decision making in the moment

"If I'm at the end of my shower, then I will turn the water to its coldest setting."

3. Focusing on the journey means you'll invest in consistency

"I have to start small at 15 seconds of cold to work on consistent, small actions."

4. Embracing discomfort is the name of the game

"I want to take cold showers to have a win under my belt every day."

Building new habits isn't easy, but most things worth doing are hard.

What's a habit that you want to make consistent? Send me an email with your answer and how you plan to stick with it!

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

New Routine

2020-09-15T00:00:00Z

I want to be consistently moving forward towards freedom. Financial freedom, time freedom, location freedom. It will not be without its challenges, but I think it's worthy to strive for.

I need to get into a daily routine or schedule, but my second son is about to be born (my wife is getting induced TODAY). I'm not sure how that is going to affect the process quite yet.

But if consistency is what I'm trying to achieve, a daily schedule/routine will help ensure that happens.

Of course, Hannah and I need to be on the same page about what I want my schedule to be. My goals and routines can't be separate from her. When I change my daily routine, it affects my family.

I came up with a starting schedule yesterday. It will change to adjust to the needs of my family with the newborn, but it's a good starting place.

Start Time			Item
4:45AM	:	🌄	Wake up
5:00AM	:	💻 ✍️	Programming & Writing
6:30AM	:	👨‍👦‍👦 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦	Get kids up, then Family time
7:30AM	:	👨‍💻	Day job
4:30PM	:	🥘 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦	Dinner & Family time
7:30PM	:	🛌 🚶 🚿	(Kids in bed), then Ruck & Shower
8:30PM	:	💑	Wife time
9:30PM	:	🛌	Get ready for bed
9:45PM	:	😴	Sleep

I've been getting about 7 hours of sleep at night for a couple weeks now and I'm still fresh. I'll have less some nights with the baby, but 7 is my goal.

I have plans to build a web app to help myself analyze where our debt is at. It'll help plan how to pay them off the fastest, track how much progress we've made, and compare other changes.

Since we're not the only ones in debt, I think an app like that could help a lot of people.

It can help get their debts under control and reduce the overwhelm.
It can save people money 💰.
It can encourage them to keep making progress.
It can remind them to celebrate milestones 🎉.
It can give them back their financial freedom.

I'm looking forward to working on this project. It'll be challenging and useful. But since we'll be having a baby today or tomorrow, I probably won't make too much progress this week.

The next time I write, I'll be a father of 2 boys! See you then.

Brian DeVries

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

Produce More, Consume Less

2020-09-13T00:00:00Z

Long-term thinking yields greater results. But short-term results feel more urgent.

I get caught up in coming up with my next endeavor to make a quick buck on the side. I need to stop chasing the quick money and start investing in an asset for the long-term.

I like building websites and working with software. How can I leverage those skills to build a product? Consistent execution is paramount. Anyone can find an idea, but the execution is what counts.

Brainstorming ideas is something I enjoy doing. I have long lists of ideas. I've talked with friends and family about several of them. I've been known to jump from idea to idea, hobby to hobby.

Sometimes I generate ideas based on what I think people want. Other times I generate ideas based on problem I have encountered. But how do I choose the best idea?

You can usually find advice to back up your point. For example, I've heard advice that says to work toward something you enjoy doing. But I've also heard advice to work on something people want even if it's not your passion. I think both can be right, but you get my point.

There are many success stories on both sides. This is where I struggle. I'm not so concerned with my ability to execute on an idea. I think I can figure out whatever tech I need to for most ideas.

What paralyzes me is picking which idea to pursue. I get stuck thinking about sinking months into a project that flops. I believe I need to get past this mindset.

Ultimately, I'm going to learn a great deal simply by attempting to build a customer-worthy product. The worst case scenario is that I come out the other side with more experience. Best case is the project does really well and I build a product people are willing to pay for.

I know I'm not the only one who falls into analysis paralysis. For anyone else who needs to hear this, become an action-biased person. When you feel you're spinning your wheels overthinking something, jump in and take action. You can always course correct later.

And let's all try to spend less time on social media, shall we? That's my shameless plug to consume less and produce more.

Brian DeVries

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

Website building blocks

2020-09-07T00:00:00Z

You visit websites every day, but you might not know what the basic building blocks are. Websites are built with 3 fundamental pieces: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

HTML elements are the bones of the web page. CSS is the skin and appearance of the site. JavaScript acts as the muscles, running functional scripts to execute logic. I'll show you how to take a look at source HTML of a website.

View web page source html

When I press F12 in my browser, the Developer Tools window will open. Before learning about HTML and web development, this window would only pop up by accident.

When the Developer Tools window is open, you can see all the markup that makes up the web page. I'll give an overview of HTML so you can start learning yourself.

Web page structure

HTML elements are the building blocks. These blocks consist of a start and end tag indicating what type of block it is. Every web page has a standard structure.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    ...
  </head>

  <body>
    ...
  </body>
</html>

All html documents start with <!DOCTYPE html> to indicate to the browser what type of document it is.

The <html></html> block holds all other blocks within the web page.

The two main blocks within the html element are the head and body blocks.

The head element holds markup that will support the document, such as title, meta, link, style and script tags.

The body element holds all other blocks of the web page. I'll go over some of the most common elements in a bit.

Properties

Most elements can contain IDs, classes, styles, and more.

<p id="paragraph-1" class="example-class" style="color: red;">This is a paragraph</p>

These can be used to add CSS styles, reference the element in a JavaScript function, and more. Now let's look at some common HTML elements.

Common HTML elements

div

The <div></div> element is very common block element in HTML. It mostly acts as a grouping element to hold smaller pieces together.

p

The <p></p> element represents a paragraph.

a

The <a></a> tag is what gives the web its name. a is the hyperlink tag that points to other websites, creating the "web" of site pages. The href property holds the site that the tag references.

<a href="https://brianjdevries.com">Brian's site</a>

The above code becomes Brian's site.

h1..h6

Heading tags span from h1 to h6 and indicate document levels. They typically have decreasing font size as the heading number increases.

img

The <img /> element allows you to embed images within web pages. This is an example of a self-closing tag.

<img src="https://brianjdevries.com/favicon.ico" />

This is the image that shows from the above img element.

link

The <link /> element is a non-visual element used to import stylesheets and images to the document.

<link rel="stylesheet" href="./style.css">

The above snippet will use the style.css document to format the document and add css to the markup. We'll cover CSS later.

Wrap up

HTML is how web documents are formatted. Numerous elements are available to communicate what content is and how it should be displayed in the browser. Building websites with proper HTML elements also allows screen readers to access web content. Less able people can then also interact with websites and navigate them.

This is just a brief introduction to HTML. More information can be found in the MDN web docs.

Go ahead, press F12 on this page and take a look at the HTML structure. You won't break anything, but you will learn something!

Give me a shout if you liked this post, I love talking with others about all things web.

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.

You're Being Watched

2020-08-24T00:00:00Z

I've been more conscious about online privacy lately. Maybe it's because I'm building more websites and have to consider traffic analytics. Or it might be due to the ever-present advertisements that mysteriously match searches on other platforms.

Whatever it is, I'm not a fan of all the tracking. We know these large companies are tracking us. But we don't do anything about it. Why? Let's think about that.

Services that track us

So we know online tracking is a thing. We have at least heard about 'cookies' on websites. But do we know what they're for?

Many websites say, "Accept our cookies so we can provide you the best experience on our site." And they'll remember some details about you so you don't have to fill something out next time you visit. But it's phrased in a way that disguises the fact that they're remembering something about you.

Most websites really are just trying to make your life easier. But there are larger entities tracking you too.

You might ask, "If I know who is tracking me, I can just stop using their services and websites, right?"

Here are some examples of companies that track you: Facebook. Google. Amazon. The list goes on and on. Maybe it's not so easy to get away from them...

Motives for tracking

What do these companies have in common? They offer services for free in exchange for your attention so they can make money advertising to you.

"But they only track you within their services, right?" Wrong. They reach much farther than that. With social login options, they're able to observe your movement in those apps as well.

It's also possible for their trackers to access sites you're browsing within the same session. All of the tracking seems excessive to me, but it's hard to get away from the platforms and services. There are some truly useful tools.

For example, I'm a fan of the google suite. Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Photos, Drive, etc. Lots of productivity there. But is the exchange of free services for my attention really worth it?

Other options

Lately, I've been drawn away from Google Chrome to Firefox as a browser because of their commitment to privacy. DuckDuckGo is my preferred search engine over Google because of their commitment to privacy and unbiased search results.

There aren't many alternatives to Facebook, but I use the platform less and less.

There are other email providers, but it's a hassle to switch.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Is it that big of a deal that they track us so much? Some people argue the value these services offer is worth it. I don't know if I have an answer, it's a gray area.

I do know that we need to take a step back and think about things that are handed out so freely. What's the hidden cost of the free price tag? This doesn't just apply to software and websites.

Large businesses don't typically do things for free out of the goodness of their heart unless it's an obvious charity. Often times, there's another motive that might not be so obvious if it's a service they offer.

Stay vigilant and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Start a conversation

What do you think? Start a conversation by emailing me!

Thanks for reading! Shoot me an email with your thoughts or just to say hello.