Hi — I’m Dave.
I’m a semi-retired software engineer, serial tinkerer, and professional distractor (mostly of myself). I started One Thing at a Time as a place to explore what actually happens when you decide to slow down, focus up, and ship the stuff that matters — instead of chasing every bright, shiny side quest that buzzes past.
This newsletter is partly about projects — the big, the small, the useful, and the ones that feel that way only in hindsight. But really, it’s about how we spend our time, how we make progress (even when progress feels slow), and how we stay curious without getting overwhelmed.
Here you’ll find:
thoughts on creativity and motivation,
reflections on books, technology, and clouds (both the puffy and the server-based kind),
honest takes on productivity, focus, and living with an ever-rumbling brain,
occasional ideas that look obvious in hindsight but felt risky at the time.
I write for people who:
have too many ideas and not enough hours,
want to make meaningful work without burning out,
enjoy thinking aloud about life, code, play, progress, and the messy bits in between.
If you’re here because you’re building something — big or small — and you need someone who gets the tension between enthusiasm and focus, you’re in the right place.
If any of that sounds familiar, you might enjoy sticking around.
Let’s see what we can finish.
One thing. At a time.
— Dave
