How do you think when you're coding?
summary
Describes a concrete workflow: six modes — learn, explore, understand, fix, enhance, cleanup — with goals, expected artifacts, and when to switch. Recommends tools and habits: keep a task list, use Google Docs for notes, use git liberally (commit experimental tries, console app to isolate subsystems), prefer rebase over merge, write focused PRs, add tests when they help. Built an AV system for a church and uses commits and small, reviewable changes to keep history clean.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (14)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:06Coding thought processes
- 3:15Diverse thinking patterns
- 4:44Task management and context switching
- 5:49Coding modes defined
- 9:05Learn mode: best practices
- 17:55Explore mode: prototyping
- 22:08Understand mode: debugging
- 26:31Fix mode: bug addressing
- 29:20Enhance mode: feature implementation
- 32:05Cleanup mode: refactoring
- 35:17Q&A: note-keeping
- 40:35Q&A: handling pressure
- 43:04Closing remarks
related talks
26mWhat Happens When You Don't Write the Code — Advice I Wish I'd Taken 10 Years Ago
46mStaying Human While Coding
10mExplains 5 Steps to Get Better at Coding
48mEnding Keynote: 7 Principles of Productive Software Developers
45mTen Commandments of a Software Engineer
01h 01mFixing the Ultimate Legacy System: You
52mKeynote: Steps to Wisdom
44mSurviving Code Reviews