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Saturday, August 09, 2014

Wait for the Right Moment

Imagine the picture of a lion hiding behind bushes to catch his prey. He is waiting.. waiting for the right moment to jump on to the prey for a perfect catch.

Well, that was a horrible example! It's just to convey this idea: There is always a right time to begin. Learn when to start and when to wait.

We are developers. Listen to the inner voice that whispers to us ‘wait’, before jumping on to the keyboard and start writing the code.You might have a nagging doubt in our mind. Listen to it before proceeding. This may not always be a big deal. Sometimes, it could be just a disturbing thought. Give it some time. It will crystallize into something more solid. Or it will solve the great mystery that prevents you from continuing.

There is always a starting trouble while beginning a new project. But, how do we know if reluctance to start is a good decision, or we are simply procrastinating?

There’s a technique answer the question and solve the problem. If you are not sure when to start or how to start, simply take a part of the problem which you think is difficult to solve. Start developing a prototype for it, which doubles as a proof of concept. This will result in either of the following:

  • You’ll feel that you are just wasting our time. No need to think twice. Throw away the prototype and start working on the actual code.
  • You’ll find that there’s something wrong with the basic premise. You'll also get to know the right way to start with. Your instincts were right. Now you can launch the project in the right direction.

Prototype always helps. This is much more acceptable than simply announcing, ‘I don’t feel like starting’.


- summary of Not Until You’re Ready, from The Pragmatic Programmer: from Journeyman to Master

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