Working Life on Robin Carswell

What a sabbatical to learn AI actually looks like

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Six months out to apply AI to my life and my businesses. The first quarterly report on where that actually went.

The shape of it so far

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Chart six months of building week by week and it doesn't look like a plan. It looks like a heartbeat.

I didn't build products. I built the thing that builds products.

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Give me a capable AI and six months and I'll spin up a new prototype most fortnights. The valuable part wasn't any of them.

Capture outran decision, and everything got rebuilt

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 05:30:00 +0000

The least flattering post in this series, and the most useful. Two patterns the data wouldn't let me pretend away.

I gave an AI my whole life for efficiency. I never negotiated the terms.

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 05:00:00 +0000

To make the assistant useful I handed a commercial model, in another country, the most complete picture of me that has ever existed. Then I noticed I'd built a vault to keep my clients' data away from exactly that.

The stuff that actually runs

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Forget the half-built prototypes. If you want to know what six months bought me, look at the boring systems I now use every single day.

The medium was never the message

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:23:00 +0000

A developer friend built a Markov chain to fake our chief's weekly emails. It worked.

Feature complexity

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:17:00 +0000

Scheduling your hardest feature first is almost always a mistake. There are three ways it ends.

4DX vs OKRs

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:37:00 +0000

I've used both. Here's which one actually changed what I did on a Monday morning.

The OBR's Website Problem Was Always Going to Happen

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The risk was accepted thirteen years ago. A different person took the hit.

Fractional? Part-time? Unemployed?

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 18:18:00 +0100

Are you fractional? Or are you just out of work?

Linkedin Login Hack

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 13:52:00 +0100

My LinkedIn account was hacked this morning.

To my small reader base: If we’re supposed to get coffee the week of the 19th, let’s arrange where, by email.

Hiring in the Modern World, Job Hunting in the Modern World or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Bomb

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 14:00:00 +0100

I’m currently active in the talent market, looking for professional opportunity, opportunity to use my skills for the benefit of society, and the opportunity to feed the family.

A Stolen Reading List

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 14:50:00 +0100

I stole this list from someone I respect on the socials. But since he doesn’t know I respect him, I’m sure it’s fine to stick on the blog for future reference.

Risk Roadmapping 101

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 15:37:00 +0100

Thanks Chat GPT! Making this blog post was super simple.

Effective Risk Roadmapping Frameworks for Startups

Launching a startup involves navigating a landscape filled with uncertainties and risks. To increase the chances of success, startups can benefit from adopting effective risk roadmapping frameworks. These frameworks provide a structured approach to identify, assess, and manage risks, helping startups steer through challenges and capitalize on opportunities.

Podcasts and Personal Development

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 13:00:00 +0100

Here’s a list of podcasts and resources for personal development in tech and startups.

I’m putting it here, so that I don’t lose it in the giant email pile.

All the Reasons You're Unemployed

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 13:00:00 +0100

A Medium post showed up in my inbox. I was job hunting, and saw a strong parallel.

Edit 1: Before reading my parallel, I’ve been told it’s probably a good idea to read the original Medium article.

Four Words and Five Lines

Fri, 04 May 2018 10:13:00 +0100

The four words and five lines that matter in speech-writing. For those of you who give speeches, rather than just soapbox rants.

A Box of Agile

Tue, 09 Jun 2015 18:00:00 +0100

Just a round-up of the stationery I normally buy to help in professional contexts. It’s useful to have it all in the same list.

GOV.UK wins Design of the Year!

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0100

For the past several months, I’ve been working on building out gov.uk. More precisely, the Inside Government team, working up new product development and content transition.