Shikoli Makatiani

Blog

  • The Checklist I Use to Decide What to Build

    A practical framework for filtering ideas and committing to the ones worth building.

    Not everything worth observing is worth writing about. Not everything worth writing about is worth building. And not everything worth building is worth teaching. Here’s the checklist I use to decide.

    The Five Questions

    1. Does this solve a problem I personally have? If I won’t use it, I can’t maintain it.
    2. Can I ship a v0 in a weekend? If not, the scope is wrong.
    3. Will building it teach me something I can’t learn by reading? Build logs need real lessons.
    4. Does it connect to something I’ve already written about? The ecosystem feeds itself.
    5. Would I be proud to show the code? If not, it’s a prototype, not a product.

    [Expand each question with your actual reasoning and examples]

  • Field Notes: 10 Signals I’m Tracking This Month

    A monthly roundup of the most interesting signals across tech, business, and Africa’s digital landscape.

    • Signal 1: [Replace with your actual observation]
    • Signal 2: [Replace with your actual observation]
    • Signal 3: [Replace with your actual observation]
    • Signal 4: [Replace with your actual observation]
    • Signal 5: [Replace with your actual observation]
    • Signal 6: [Replace with your actual observation]
    • Signal 7: [Replace with your actual observation]
    • Signal 8: [Replace with your actual observation]
    • Signal 9: [Replace with your actual observation]
    • Signal 10: [Replace with your actual observation]

  • The Future Is Unevenly Distributed in My Inbox

    This is a placeholder for the inaugural Future desk essay. Replace this with your actual content about the signals, patterns, and predictions you’re tracking.

    William Gibson said the future is already here, just not evenly distributed. My inbox proves it daily. Between the pitch decks, the research papers, and the Slack threads from builders in Nairobi, Lagos, and Kigali, I see patterns that won’t be obvious for another 18 months.

    This essay series is where I share those patterns — not as predictions to be graded, but as observations to be tested. The goal is to help you see what I see, so you can decide what to build next.

  • Hello world!

    Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!