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Programming · by Imogen Clarke · 2026-09-28

What debugging looks like when you stop optimizing everything that actually stuck

I know this is a tiny sample size, but after 7 attempts the pattern is pretty clear. When I keep the setup simple, I actually follow through.

Context: I am not an expert, just someone trying to make Programming feel less intimidating. I wrote down what worked, what felt awkward, and what I would do differently next time.

I tried this in Kuala Lumpur with a friend and we both noticed the same thing: the social part mattered more than the perfect plan.

I started this because my Monday morning felt a little stuck, and learning seemed like a manageable place to experiment. The funny part is that the smallest change was the one I kept.

20 sparks · 3 comments

Comments

Kabir Khan · 4 likes

Can you share what you tried before this? For me it came down to the tiny repair.

Amina Okafor · 0 likes

Totally agree, especially for beginners.

Anna Gruber · 1 likes

This is genuinely helpful, thanks for writing it out. The Berlin example makes it feel concrete. This is exactly the kind of tradeoff teams argue about for weeks.