Tags: cultivate discipline
As Donald Knuth wrote in 1974, programmers often waste effort optimizing too early; βpremature optimization is the root of all evil (or at least most of it) in programmingβ (Knuth, 1974). This sentiment applies beyond code. We often fall into the trap of optimization too early, whether in programming, designing a template, or starting an exercise routine. Instead of putting a functional version to use, we start tweaking it, reshaping it until we barely recognize it. As a result, we lose the value of the original. The code ends up doing things we do not need, the template produces excessive output, and the workout becomes so complicated that it discourages us from following through.
It is often better to stick with the raw idea, no matter how rough or unrefined it may be. If you follow it long enough, perhaps for a year or even a month, you may start to notice natural patterns emerge. Haruki Murakami describes a similar experience in Novelist as a Vocation (Murakami, 2022). Early in his career, feeling constrained by traditional Japanese prose, he began writing in English and then translating the text back into Japanese. The process was not optimal, but it helped him discover a personal voice. Rather than optimizing the method, he committed to it, letting clarity and style emerge over time through repeated practice.