July 22, 2022

Yes. Yes, it was.

Many alert readers wrote in to ask if my last message was inspired by Michael Lynch’s article I Regret My $46k Website Redesign.

The answer?

Yes. Yes, it was.

A whole bunch of people sent that link to me and it did inspire my message.

A few people asked why I didn’t share a link to Michael’s original post.

The answer?

I thought about it but I had abstracted the original post so much that I was afraid my point would be lost getting into debates about the differences between mine and the more nuanced original.

Okay so...

Why did I abstract it so much?

Regrettably, stories like Michael’s aren’t all that uncommon when people are trading time for money.

The nuances he shared were certainly captivating but not particularly relevant to what I see as the fundamental cause of his eventual feeling of regret.

Namely, hourly billing.

But what about giving credit where credit is due?

Fair question. Just so you know, I amplified Michael’s post on Twitter and Hacker News, and he’s booked to come on Ditching Hourly on Monday for an interview about the whole situation. I hope to have it published on Tuesday.

Stay tuned!

Yours,

—J