Programming · by Noah Miller · 2026-08-31
The awkward joy of doing the recipe badly at first
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.
My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 8 minutes to prepare, I am much more likely to keep doing it.
71 sparks · 21 comments
Comments
Arif Hasan · 16 likes
My version of this was messier, but the conclusion was similar. It reminds me of a very specific conversation near a coworking table.
Ren Suzuki · 10 likes
There is a hidden assumption here that not everyone shares. I would write it down before changing anything else.
Curious Orbit · 7 likes
This sounds sensible, though I would need to test it myself.
Camila Rocha · 5 likes
Wonderful detail. It makes the whole thing feel real. My friend tried it in Manila and had the opposite result.
Luciana Vargas · 4 likes
Amazing how much difference one small change can make. The useful part is easy to underestimate. I would love to see the benchmark numbers.
Ananya Rao · 0 likes
Exactly; the hidden cost is energy.
Olena Shevchenko · 3 likes
That is a good question for people with more experience than me. This pairs weirdly well with tacos. A small test case would make this easier to trust.
Ethan Brooks · 3 likes
Maybe, but the tradeoff seems bigger than the post suggests. I would test it for 6 days before deciding.
Diego García · 2 likes
Excellent timing; I was just thinking about doing. I would write it down before changing anything else.
Noah Miller · 3 likes
That is a much better way to say it.
Felix Weber · 2 likes
@noah-41 Kind of wild how often much is the whole issue.
Sleepy Coder · 2 likes
This is one of those ideas that looks great online and falls apart on Tuesday. The Madrid example makes it feel concrete.
Rohan Mehta · 1 likes
Really good advice, and it feels doable. I keep a note about architecture for exactly this reason.
Lucas Dubois · 1 likes
This feels a little overrated to me, even if the intention is good. I care less about the perfect answer and more about repeatability.
Haruto Sato · 1 likes
This is genuinely helpful, thanks for writing it out. I keep a note about learning for exactly this reason. Naming things remains undefeated as the hardest problem.
Ananya Rao · 1 likes
That last line is excellent. The weekend version is even more interesting. Naming things remains undefeated as the hardest problem.
Sophie Gagnon · 1 likes
I would not call it wrong, just incomplete. I care less about the perfect answer and more about repeatability. The boring solution is probably the reliable one here.
Oussama Alaoui · 0 likes
This is genuinely helpful, thanks for writing it out. The 2-minute rule is underrated.