🎯 Goal

Reduce daily workflow friction and stabilize my GitHub Pages blog after repeated theme and configuration issues.

✅ What I Did

🖱️ Workflow Ergonomics

  • Installed AutoRaise on macOS
    • Enabled focus-follows-mouse behavior (Linux-style)
    • Windows automatically gain focus when hovering
    • Improved multitasking across terminal, editor, and browser

🌐 GitHub Pages & Jekyll Work (Jan 25, 2026)

Multiple commits focused on fixing structural and configuration issues:

  • Fixed recurring syntax errors in header.html
  • Modified _config.yml several times:
    • Header & footer
    • Social links
    • Tests
  • Added and tested a custom logo
  • Modified:
    • README.md
    • Existing posts
    • Test posts
  • Removed Minima theme
  • Switched to a static theme
  • Changed theme to jekyll-theme-leap-day
  • Added social usernames:
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
  • Modified:
    • Gemfile
    • About page
    • Theme layout files
  • Added blog posts from previous days
  • Iterated repeatedly to fix breakages caused by theme switches

✅ What Worked

  • AutoRaise noticeably improved daily usability and focus
  • Switching away from Minima unlocked more layout control
  • Repeated exposure to Jekyll configs improved understanding
  • Incremental commits helped isolate some breaking changes

❌ What Didn’t

  • Header syntax errors resurfaced multiple times
    → shaky understanding of Liquid + HTML interaction
  • Theme switching caused cascading failures
  • Too many changes per session slowed debugging
  • Some commits were reactive rather than planned

🧠 Key Takeaways

  • Ergonomics directly impact learning efficiency
  • Jekyll themes are opinionated systems, not skins
  • Blog infrastructure is part of the skillset
  • Chaos is normal early — but must be reduced over time

❓ Questions

  • What’s the best way to validate Liquid + HTML before committing?
  • Should the theme now be frozen to avoid churn?
  • When does local Jekyll testing become mandatory rather than optional?

🧩 One-Sentence Summary

Today was about smoothing my workflow and wrestling GitHub Pages into a stable state—painful, but essential groundwork.