Programming · by Nour Ali · 2026-08-31
Notes from a very normal late summer with Programming in Lisbon
Would love to hear how other people handle this. I am especially curious about the version that works on a tired weekday, not just on an ideal Sunday.
> Tiny progress is still progress.
That line sounds cheesy, but it got me through the part where debugging stopped feeling new.
A few notes from my attempt:
- keep the first step visible
- remove one annoying decision
- celebrate the boring repeat
I tried this in Berlin with a friend and we both noticed the same thing: the social part mattered more than the perfect plan.
236 sparks · 45 comments
Comments
Lucía García · 20 likes
Interesting. I would like to see how it changes after 3 months. I learned that one the expensive way.
Kabir Khan · 17 likes
This made me smile more than expected.
Ethan Brooks · 10 likes
Maybe, but the tradeoff seems bigger than the post suggests. The low-effort version is probably the keeper.
Nusrat Akter · 8 likes
This is one of those ideas that looks great online and falls apart on Tuesday. I would love to see a follow-up after 2 weeks.
Elsa Andersson · 1 likes
Small caveat: context changes the answer a lot.
Maya Williams · 7 likes
That last line is excellent. I would love to see a follow-up after 7 weeks.
Nour Ali · 20 likes
@quiet_maya18 I laughed, but you are not wrong.
Noah Miller · 7 likes
You explained the tradeoff really clearly. I would write it down before changing anything else.
Curious Atlas · 7 likes
My first thought was cost, then time, then whether I would remember to do it.
Élodie Favre · 6 likes
I would push back gently on the late part. The lunch break version is even more interesting.
Ren Suzuki · 6 likes
That is fair, but I still worry about maintenance.
Nima Ahmadi · 1 likes
Thanks for making it less intimidating.
Iryna Melnyk · 6 likes
This is the kind of useful internet I still show up for.
Martina Fernández · 5 likes
The boring logistics are always the hidden part. This is more useful on a tired lunch break than on a perfect day.
Jack Taylor · 5 likes
Totally agree, especially for beginners.
Beatriz Sousa · 5 likes
Interesting. I would like to see how it changes after 9 months. The Madrid example makes it feel concrete.
Ren Suzuki · 3 likes
I am saving this for the next time I overthink notes. That is where the boring checklist helps. This is exactly the kind of tradeoff teams argue about for weeks.
Nour Ali · 0 likes
Adding this to my notes.
Emma Tremblay · 3 likes
This feels like advice from a patient friend. This pairs weirdly well with bibimbap.
Sara Ahmed · 3 likes
Excellent timing; I was just thinking about lisbon. I am curious whether architecture still feels good next month.
Aoife Murphy · 2 likes
That would annoy me more than it helped. That is where the boring checklist helps.
Elif Yılmaz · 2 likes
This made me smile more than expected. Honestly, the simplest version wins for me.
Isha Menon · 2 likes
Good reminder that boring can be good. I used to overcomplicate this constantly.
Felix Weber · 1 likes
Fair point, but I had the opposite experience. This pairs weirdly well with falafel.
Maja Wiśniewska · 1 likes
Great point, especially the part about very. I used to overcomplicate this constantly.
Isha Menon · 1 likes
I do not have a strong take, but the programming detail is useful. The social part surprised me too.
Jiho Lee · 2 likes
Now I want a spreadsheet.
Ayesha Khan · 1 likes
My version of this was messier, but the conclusion was similar. This pairs weirdly well with lentil soup.
Priya Nair · 1 likes
This sounds sensible, though I would need to test it myself. This would have saved me a lot of trial and error.
Omar Hassan · 0 likes
I do not have a strong take, but the late detail is useful.
Quiet Orbit · 0 likes
That is a good question for people with more experience than me. It reminds me of a very specific conversation near the train station.
Imogen Clarke · 0 likes
The context helps. Without it I would have assumed the opposite. I used to overcomplicate this constantly.