Impatient Programming
- Steven Pressfield - The War of Art:
Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it...Therefore, the more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul.
I’ve noticed when working with a new library, concept, or language, sometimes I rush to finish as quickly as possible. Speed is good when there’s a deadline or a large queue of tasks and limited energy. But speed raises the chance for mistakes: when you don’t deliberate on your work, review your code, or think of edge cases where your program may fail; standard procedures. We don’t always have the luxury of taking our sweet time, so finding the right balance, making haste slowly is a compromise.
However, I’ve caught myself speeding even when there is time, but usually there’s a novel aspect to what I’m attempting. It hit me later in the day why.
I realized the tension I had from working was similar to the tension in social interactions, like an interview. Why is it there? It seems connected to the uncertainty of the outcome, to the judgement that’s to follow. That space between the beginning and the end fills with self-doubt, imposter syndrome, fear of failing.
“Am I good enough to get the job?”, “Am I smart enough to code this app?”.
So, I nervously talk fast due to the adrenaline or cortisol, or code quickly to get to the end faster, possibly rushing the process and calling failure forward faster.
The fear and tension will continue to spring up for bigger challenges, right?. Any other way forward but to get used to it?
“What do you see after climbing the mountain? Another mountain“
Post-thought: slowing down and focusing on the problem is the solution. that's the goal of the project, problem, or interview, solving it. rushing to the finish line only works when you 100% know where it is. instead focus on on the problem as best as possible - make haste slowly.