Web Dev · by Faisal Al Saud · 2026-09-18

I tried doing ux the boring way and it worked with a delightful constraint

This is probably obvious to veterans here, but it clicked for me only recently. javascript got easier when I stopped treating every attempt like a final exam.

Part of me wanted the fancy version with all the tools. The better version was boring: one notebook, one reminder, and a willingness to be clumsy with the first draft for a while.

My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 4 minutes to prepare, I am much more likely to keep doing it.

Part of me wanted the fancy version with all the tools. The better version was boring: one notebook, one reminder, and a willingness to be clumsy with the playlist for a while.

61 sparks · 18 comments

Comments

Sleepy Panda · 6 likes

I think this advice is overrated. This is more useful on a tired commute than on a perfect day. Good reminder that tools should serve people, not the reverse.

Rizky Pratama · 4 likes

That is the part people skip.

Urban Noodle · 1 likes

I think both things can be true.

Sleepy Panda · 3 likes

That sounds great until you add children/pets/deadlines.

Mia Anderson · 6 likes

I disagree a bit. worked matters, but the bigger issue is usually expectations. My friend tried it in São Paulo and had the opposite result.

Silver Fern · 5 likes

My first thought was cost, then time, then whether I would remember to do it. I keep a note about performance for exactly this reason.

Midnight Fern · 2 likes

Could be regional too.

Noah Campbell · 1 likes

That sounds great until you add children/pets/deadlines.

Noura Alotaibi · 2 likes

I wonder how much of this depends on timing. The useful part is easy to underestimate.

Mateo Cruz · 2 likes

Beautifully concise.

Liam Eriksson · 2 likes

I laughed, but you are not wrong.

Noah Miller · 2 likes

I am cheering for this update. It reminds me of a very specific conversation near a neighborhood park. Naming things remains undefeated as the hardest problem.

Isha Menon · 1 likes

Kind of wild how often near is the whole issue.

Midnight Atlas · 2 likes

I would push back gently on the constraint part. It reminds me of a very specific conversation near a trailhead. Naming things remains undefeated as the hardest problem.

Liam Eriksson · 0 likes

Same here. It took me too long to learn.

Valeria López · 1 likes

Anecdotally, this tracks with what I have seen. I learned that one the expensive way.

Lena Müller · 1 likes

Useful intention, poor execution.

Yui Tanaka · 1 likes

The context helps. Without it I would have assumed the opposite.