When it comes to building reliability and resilience, there’s no perfect checklist. But there are a few grounding ideas I keep coming back to, especially when things get messy.

In this post, I share three principles that continue to guide my work: focusing on what really matters to users, creating psychological safety around failure, and letting incidents shape what we learn and prioritize.

Burnout doesn’t always hit all at once. Sometimes, it creeps in slowly —so slowly that by the time you recognize it, you’re already running on empty. I didn’t realize how far I’d pushed myself until I reached a point where I literally couldn’t stand the sight of my computer.

I had just moved to a new country, with a house full of furniture, a supportive partner, and a cat. I stepped into a new job with more seniority, where I picked things up faster than usual.

And then, the pandemic hit.

First email that was sent to subscribers who want to hear more about Humans in Systems.

I started Humans in Systems because I care about the people behind technology. While I’m the one who is coaching/mentoring, and consulting, I didn’t want this to be just about me. I wanted a name that reflects what matters most: how we, as people, shape and interact with the systems we build.