The Log
Field notes on automation, design, and the craft of building things that work — what we're making and what we're learning.
Your Loading Spinner is a Design Decision You Never Actually Made
The most revealing design decision in your product is the one you never thought about.
Read postThe Automation You Should Never Build
Some automations are traps dressed up as solutions — here's how to tell the difference before you build.
Read post AI at WorkHire AI for the First Draft, Never the Final Call
AI will give you a draft in seconds — the problem is when you start treating that draft like an answer.
Read post AI at WorkThe Prompt Is the New Spec Sheet
The way you write a prompt is now the way you define a project.
Read post AI at WorkWe Let an AI Draft This Blog — Here's the Guardrail That Keeps It Honest
We use AI to draft posts for this journal, and we're not hiding it — but there's one rule that makes the whole thing work.
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Stop A/B Testing Your Way to Mediocrity
A/B testing doesn't find the best answer — it finds the most acceptable one.
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The Website Nobody Scrolls: Designing for the 8-Second Visit
Your homepage is not a story — it's a billboard, and most people are already driving past it.
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Your CRM is a Swamp — Here's How We Drain It
A dirty CRM doesn't just slow you down — it actively lies to you.
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Whitespace Is a Budget Line, Not a Leftover
Every designer knows whitespace matters — almost none of them fight for it like it costs money, which is exactly the problem.
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The n8n-versus-Custom-Code Question, Finally Settled
The debate isn't about which tool is better — it's about which question you're actually trying to answer.
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Why We Bill Automation by Outcome, Not by the Hour
Charging by the hour for automation work is a quiet admission that your time is the product — but it shouldn't be.
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Automate the Decision, Not Just the Task
You've automated the email send, the invoice, the report—but someone still has to decide whether to send it.
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AI is an amplifier, not a replacement
Most "AI strategy" for small businesses skips the load-bearing part. AI doesn't fix a broken process — it makes it faster. Here's the diagnostic we use before recommending a single tool.
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The busywork audit — finding the work worth automating first
Most automation projects stall because they pick the wrong first task. Here's the 30-minute audit we use to find the work that actually pays back.
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The case for one accent color
Brands that use one accent color, disciplined-well, outpunch brands with elaborate palettes. Here's why we treat color as a budget, not a buffet.
Read postNo posts in this section yet — more on the way.