Agonizing over code

The past few weeks I’ve finished one project and then worked on a mini exercise to hone my skills with a particular CSS style. In both of these situations I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I’m coding. Sometimes I have to tell myself to loosen up and just get the work done, because I’m almost agonizing over what I’m writing. I desperately want the code to be flexible, maintainable, and performant. It doesn’t help that I am continually reading new ideas and theories on how to do exactly that in the realm of front end code.

Recently I actually tweeted about how I was worried what other people would think when they view the source. That’s the thing about this industry. Everyone can see what I’m doing and how I’ve done it. They just go ahead and right click and inspect away. But the other thing about this industry is that things are constantly changing and in flux. What I code today may be right for today, but in just a few weeks there could be a new and better way to do it. The pace of change is both exciting and at times a bit overwhelming.

So lately, as I agonize over how I write the CSS (because really, that’s where the real choices exist), I try and tell myself that I just need to do the best job I can and that it may not be the exact way someone else would do it, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. I have been trying to lighten up and have fun with the code. Because in all honesty, when I get something to work in a new and better way, it is awesome. I still get excited and I still want to jump up and down and tell people about it. Those are the moments I should search for and just let go of all the rest.