For myself, one of the distractions I brought with me was the latest issue of Entrepreneur magazine.  Entrepreneur is a magazine which I like to scan through to extract “tidbits” to stimulate my brain and I will often find items which relate to something I’m either working on, or which I think will be useful down the road.  Yesterdays “scan” was no exception.  Heres my “tidbits” and comment:

• On Innovation — ref Entrepreneurs Innovate every day - Two points in particular caught my eye here.  For the self employed developer, or the small development group the ability to “Ask better questions” can be invaluable – try it, you’ll like it!  In “Seek Feedback” the statement  “Your main goal is to benefit your customers…” couldn’t ring any more true – especially in these times. 
• On starting a business as a “mature worker” – Not Ready to Retire? – be prepared to get honest with yourself when you answer the question “Am I really a self-starter?” — What?  You haven’t an answer yet?  Then, in my opinion, you probably are NOT a self-starter!
• On frugality – Frugality is back - ‘Let’s look at how we get work done and see where we can make changes.’ – this statement caught my eye immediately!  If as an application developer you have an opportunity to participate in this activity it may provide an opening for changes to or new innovative applications.