This is a work-in-progress list of things to remember when writing code.

Some of them are especially useful if you’re writing code in a team of developers.

Keeping this list in mind will, I believe, make you a better software engineer.

They’re in no particular order.

It’s Not Your Code

• You don’t own the code you write. Don’t get attached.
• If someone comes along and improves it, that’s fine.
• If someone comes along and deletes it that’s even better!

Own Problems

• Own the problems you find in code.
• Own bugs. It doesn’t matter who originally wrote the code.
• Problems and Bugs are opportunities to lean, and to better understand the system. Embrace them.

Get On and Write Some Code

• Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good.
• Code doesn’t have to be prefect first time round. Or second.
• Make you code better over time, until it’s good enough. No more.
• code > documentation > talking

The Only Thing Better than Writing Code is NOT Writing Code

• Look for ways to not write code
• Look for ways to delete code

You’re Bad at Writing Code

• You’re bad at writing code.
• You don’t understand what the code does.
• Your code will fail.
• Write your code, and tests, with this in mind

You’re Even Worse at Remembering Stuff

• script and automate the boring, repetative stuff
• for any codebase that is useful, make setup/run/debug as simple as possible
• think about the next developer who will look at your code, and how they will get up to speed
• the next developer to look at your code may well be future-you

Ask for Help

• Ask people for help. Help others when they come asking.
• Be humble

Be Methodical

• Change one thing at a time.
• Come up with a hypothesis, make a change, see if it holds true.