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Ask HN: How do you deal with perfectionism related to programming?

by TechHawk on 3/3/17, 7:33 PM with 6 comments

There is one thing that has held me back the most while progressing in my programming endeavors: perfectionism. It has been an enormous energy drain. I believe that programmers are especially susceptible to it since programming is a very creative but at the same time logical task with many different ways of approaching problems in a huge ecosystem. In the last few years I got to know my perfectionistic side, where it comes from and what is supportive in changing my relationship with it. I always say that perfectionism is a fear of vulnerability. I think it is a topic that is not addressed enough and that many people have challenges with. What are your experiences with perfectionism? How do you handle it? Lets support each other!
  • by iotscale on 3/3/17, 7:56 PM

    I try to write a first prototype without any regards to best practices. When I'm doing a rewrite (of a prototype, not a full product), by then I already have the structure in my mind and perfectionism then can't get in the way. For example I don't design unnecessarily complex sub systems just to get the flexibility I don't need.
  • by dozzie on 3/3/17, 7:37 PM

    One strategy is to leave the thing at hand for few weeks. This way you can forget most of the trivial, unimportant things that were bothering you before.