Juvoni explores the art of learning, how to become multidisciplinary, and how to navigate software-shaped and human-shaped problems.

  • Engineer, designer & product manager.
  • Founder, community builder & experiential designer.
  • Writer, reader & public speaker.

Working on

  • Writing four essays from the playa.
  • Reading Return to the Brain of Eden.
  • Building agentic workflows.

Updated October 2026

On the desk · four essays from the playa

One drafted, three to go. Nothing published yet.

  1. 1Building the camp management platformPlanned · Nobo
  2. 2Building a Google Photos alternative with ImmichPlanned · Playa Lens
  3. 3Building the marketing side with DDEV on WordPressPlanned · Nobo Blog
  4. 4

    What Burning Man Taught Me About Agentic Engineering

    Lessons from deploying agentic systems under extreme environmental and operational constraints at Burning Man: tool design for ambiguity, graceful degradation, observability under stress, and human override.

    In draft. Not published.

Older writing in Notes

On the nightstand · 32 books

The newest start on top.

  1. Return to the Brain of EdenApr 8
  2. Creating Software with Modern Diagramming TechniquesFeb 15
  3. The Good Parts of AWSJan 20
  4. Deep UtopiaFeb 24
  5. The KnowledgeFeb 19

Started between January 2023 and February 2026.The bookshelf

Writing

Last published April 2020.

Five to start with

  1. 2016

    The Edge of Tomorrow's Habits

    We are what we repeatedly do.

    7 min
  2. 2014

    Discovering how to love reading, to read more and smarter

    I hated reading when I was younger because it seemed like I was being sentenced to read as a punishment or forced to read something of little importance to my interests.

    10 min
  3. 2018

    The 5 Most Important Mindsets for Growth

    The most important mindsets to cultivate to aid in the journey in becoming a better version of yourself.

    9 min
  4. 2016

    Reflections on Mortality and the Drive for Success

    A discussion came up around the observation that for some people the fear of death cripples them and prevents them from truly living and for other's it gives them a spark to live.

    4 min
  5. 2016

    The Emotional Journal

    Emotional Intelligence contains multiple areas that include knowing one's emotions: Self-awareness, Managing emotions, and Motivating oneself.

    3 min

Latest

  1. 2020Apr 25Best booksThe Best Books I've Read in 20191 min
  2. Apr 25Three wordsMy 3 Words for 20203 min
  3. 2019May 22ToolsThe Writing Toolkit2 min
  4. Apr 30Annual review2018 Annual Review31 min
  5. Mar 13Three wordsMy 3 Words for 20193 min
  6. 2018Dec 30Best booksThe Best Books I've Read in 20181 min
  7. Sep 27SystemHow I use Evernote2 min
  8. Sep 13Burning ManSo how was Burning Man?10 min

75 posts, 2013 to 2020Evergreen notes

2026 in three words.

I choose them from the problems of the years before, so I know what to do when I don’t.

I’ve chosen three every year since 2015.Every year’s words

  1. Transmute

    A pledge to lean more into my inner alchemist to transfer and create. To meet change with change.

  2. Harvest

    Planting seeds can be a comfort zone. It’s time to harvest and receive even a fraction of the goodwill I’ve put out into communities and the world.

  3. Honor

    A quest to become a better leader and increase the weight and consistency of my word and actions.

Library

Recently added

All 189 reviews

Added to the site between Mar 2026 and Oct 2026. Most were read years earlier.

  1. Born a CrimeWow! What a life! (thus-far). Trevor Noah, shares stories of his childhood growing up in…

  2. Poor Charlie's AlmanackReading Poor Charlie's Almanac is like going on an adventure. Everything isn't always neatly…

  3. Psycho-CyberneticsAn incredibly insightful book by a plastic surgeon who explores how our self-image shapes…

  4. ReactA gentle introduction for beginners, but I was expecting a little bit more and felt the…

  5. Six Easy PiecesIf all scientific knowledge were lost and you needed a sentence to pass on to rebuild the…

  6. Seven Brief Lessons on PhysicsA narrative based tour of the essential physics discoveries that have changed the world and…

Highlights

Select quotes

All 389 quotes from 105 books
Ed CatmulCreativity, Inc.
You don’t have to ask permission to take responsibility.
No. 09 of 09

Anti-library

Help me pick my next book.

Books I own but have not read yet. Vote for the one I should read next.

See all 336 →

  • AI Engineering

    Chip Huyen

  • An Elegant Puzzle

    Will Larson

  • Range

    David Epstein

  • The Art of Doing Science and Engineering

    Richard Hamming

  • The Culture Code

    Daniel Coyle

Every vote counts toward this season’s pick.

Tools I use

All 112 tools

The ideas I keep coming back to.

Four threads that run through everything I read, build, and lead.

  1. 01Servant Leadership

    Helping people become their best selves is also how I become mine.

    I lead from the front and care more about people than status. I realized I was a leader when others kept trusting me with responsibility.

  2. 02Systems Thinking

    Building systems feels like a game to me, and I love compounding improvements over time.

    I see patterns across people, institutions, and technology. I turn those patterns into clearer systems and better decisions.

  3. 03Generalized Specialist

    I do my best work at the intersection of disciplines.

    I studied design, switched to business, and taught myself to code. Along the way, I've organized communities, run events, and advised startups.

  4. 04Continuous Learner

    Curiosity keeps me moving.

    I run experiments, study what works, and apply the lesson to the next attempt. I want to keep learning about myself, other people, and the world for life.

Who I learn from

Lately I keep learning from Eckhart Tolle, Naval Ravikant and Charlie Munger.

All 52 influences →

Discipline, curiosity, and the long game.

I started as a designer and studied business. Then I gave up three years of spring & summer breaks to teach myself to code in the library. I've written software ever since.

Learning is what I do for fun, and so far that's 597 books. Since 2018 I've also led a camp at Burning Man. Few things I've done come close to using all my skills the way it does.

Read the full story
Juvoni Beckford
  • “Discipline is compassion for your future self”
  • “Read everything, apply what survives the second look”
  • “Build rooms where people become who they're trying to be”
— Rules I keep