Struggling To Complete Your Current Programming Task?

Sometimes when you’re writing software you find yourself struggling with details, wrapped up in the infinitely small things, completely lost.  You spend minutes, hours, perhaps days wandering in circles, trying to find the secret passage to completion that you just know is there.

This is a reminder for myself and other seasoned programmers, and maybe a lesson for junior programmers.

When you find yourself in this situation there is only one thing to do.  Stop.

Yes, stop.  Stop working.  You’re only confusing the situation further.  There’s a reason you’re not able to complete the task and odds are that reason isn’t that you haven’t twiddled the exact right bit.  The odds are your plan stunk from the beginning.  Sure, it seemed brilliant when you came up with it, but if it was really that brilliant would the minutia be killing you now?

Let’s be honest here.  Your best work is infinitely clear.  It’s concise.  It’s artful.  This thing you’re working on now?  It’s like the red-headed stepchild of Frankenstein.  You’ve beaten it, carved it up, sewn it back together, and pulled out the proverbial duct tape.  It hasn’t gotten any prettier.

So admit your mistake.  Chalk up the loss.  Stop.  Clear your mind.

Did you get that done?  Good.  Now, step back over to the white board and take the lessons you’ve just learned and formulate a new plan.  One that may take a radically different path.  Don’t be afraid of that radically different path, though.  After all, the first path you were on wasn’t nearly as good as you thought it was when you took the first step.