The Dev World – Sergio Lema

Two years ago I made a powerful script. The script dumps the values from the production database, adapts the data and restores it into a development database.

It saved me much time to debug some production issues. It saved the team a lot of time.

There was a time when everybody used it.

I was very proud of it. As it was quite simple. It was a list of bash commands, parametrized depending on the database ports and usernames. And the best, it was simple to use.

Still, the application evolved. The database evolved too. The script needed some maintenance.

In the beginning, I spent some hours to adapt it. But it started to be harder to adjust. People stopped to use it.

But I’m still proud of it. It was MY script.

What’s the problem here?

I was attached to an old idea. In the beginning, the idea (the script) was a gain of time for everybody. But as the project evolves, the idea gets outdated.

I’ve seen this behavior in many people: with design patterns, libraries, and even Excel files.

As I was attached to my idea, I refused to discard it. It was a big time when everybody thanked me for the idea. It was a high dopamine injection.

I was firmly attached to a single milestone. I was convinced that I could never do something so fruitful as this.

The fact is that if I could create and put in place this first idea, why don’t do it again?

Creating ideas is not chance, it’s trial and error.

So, I choose to do the following: Every month, I must create something new (a script, a design pattern, an article, a video…). In the beginning, it’s hard. I have the blank page symptom. But as months go on, I have more and more ideas.

In fact, now I don’t have time to put all the ideas in place.

What I want to say is: don’t get attached to a single idea or product. When it starts to have more maintenance than advantages, leave it away. You create something new again. It’s just a matter of time and perseverance.

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