Web Dev · by Chinedu Adeyemi · 2026-09-21
The thing nobody told me about css in Madrid
I had a disappointing first try, a surprisingly good second try, and then a third attempt that taught me humility. So, naturally, I now have opinions.
My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 9 minutes to prepare, I am much more likely to keep doing it.
> Tiny progress is still progress.
That line sounds cheesy, but it got me through the part where css stopped feeling new.
My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 4 minutes to prepare, I am much more likely to keep doing it.
117 sparks · 33 comments
Comments
Mia Anderson · 28 likes
You explained the tradeoff really clearly. My friend tried it in Melbourne and had the opposite result.
Rohan Mehta · 22 likes
I would push back gently on the thing part.
Isha Menon · 20 likes
The kindness in this post is lovely. I would love to see a follow-up after 7 weeks.
Sleepy Rider · 13 likes
I wish more posts had this much context. I would love to see a follow-up after 10 weeks.
Yui Tanaka · 6 likes
The context helps. Without it I would have assumed the opposite. I am curious whether backend still feels good next month.
Chloe Davis · 5 likes
I would push back gently on the madrid part. My friend tried it in Lagos and had the opposite result.
Mango Panda · 2 likes
Respectfully, I see it the other way.
Valeria López · 4 likes
The boring logistics are always the hidden part. This would have saved me a lot of trial and error.
Tiny Sparrow · 4 likes
That is a good question for people with more experience than me. For me it came down to the recipe.
Sara Ahmed · 3 likes
The conclusion is too broad, but the example is interesting. This pairs weirdly well with falafel. I would love to see the benchmark numbers.
Brave Lantern · 3 likes
Fair point, but I had the opposite experience. I noticed the same thing in Toronto.
Emma Tremblay · 3 likes
Really good advice, and it feels doable. The social part surprised me too.
Gentle Baker · 3 likes
I had a similar experience, but my problem was consistency rather than motivation. The messy constraint is probably the real story.
Maya Putri · 0 likes
Same here. It took me too long to learn.
Lena Müller · 2 likes
I do not have a strong take, but the madrid detail is useful. It reminds me of a very specific conversation near the library.
Tola Ibrahim · 7 likes
This comment has main-character footnote energy.
Aarav Sharma · 2 likes
Thanks for making it less intimidating.
Lena Müller · 1 likes
I had the same reaction to making.
Solar Sparrow · 2 likes
Good reminder that boring can be good. The low-effort version is probably the keeper.
Valeria López · 1 likes
@ng_river48 I am curious what changed your mind.
Cian Kelly · 2 likes
Good reminder that boring can be good. For me it came down to the setup.
Ananya Rao · 1 likes
This made me smile more than expected. The 4-minute rule is underrated.
Aarav Sharma · 0 likes
My version of this was messier, but the conclusion was similar. This is where I would ask one more question before choosing. I would love to see the benchmark numbers.
Valeria López · 0 likes
The framing feels off to me. Not terrible, just not convincing. The social part surprised me too.
Silver Fern · 0 likes
I had a similar experience, but my problem was consistency rather than motivation. This is where I would ask one more question before choosing.