Design Your Process to Shorten the Parts You Don’t Like — So You Can Spend More Time on What You Do

As a data scientist, my favorite part of the job is fitting statistical models and uncovering actionable insights. That’s the fun part — the part that feels like discovery. But anyone who has worked in machine learning knows the rule of thumb: only about 20% of a project is actual modeling. The other 80% is data generation.

Getting that initial dataset together can take months or even years. It means securing database access, hunting for the right tables, talking to domain experts, and searching for external data sources. Over time, I realized that if I wanted to get to the modeling stage faster, I needed to get better at the “boring” part. If I could improve the 80%, maybe I could spend 25% — or even 30% — of my time doing the part I actually enjoy.

Eventually, this became second nature. And recently, I started wondering: am I doing the same thing in my photography?

Streamlining the Boring Parts of Photography

Looking back at my photography habits, I realized I’ve quietly built a system that removes friction — a system that lets me forget about the tedious parts so I can focus on shooting.

• Two batteries. When one dies, it goes straight into my pocket. That’s my reminder to charge it the moment I get home. No missed shots because of power.

• Two large SD cards. Even on long trips, I never have to delete files on the fly. After running out of space once, I’m buying a third card before my next trip.

• One lens per outing. No decision fatigue. No switching. Just shooting.

• An L‑bracket permanently on the camera. I never have to think about packing it or attaching it. The extra weight is worth the convenience.

• Tripod heads that only use the Arca‑Swiss system. One standard, zero headaches.

None of these changes are dramatic. But together, they remove dozens of tiny decisions and annoyances — the same way a good data pipeline removes friction before the modeling stage.

Working Hard to Be “Lazy”

Programmers like to joke that they “work hard to be lazy.” They’ll spend hours building a robust system so they never have to think about that problem again.

I think I’m doing the same thing with photography.

By putting in a little extra effort upfront, I get to maximize the time I spend actually shooting — the part I love. The part that matters.

And maybe that’s the real lesson:

If you design your process well, the boring parts fade away, and the meaningful parts expand.