We’re cutting corners in our jobs all the time. Often that practise is justified as “speeding up delivery”, “focusing on the right problem to solve”, or simply “making the deadline”. But those are usually stories that we just tell ourselves (or others!) after the fact - after we’ve made the decision to cut our corners.

There are only two reasons to cut corners:

* Problem you’re solving is objectively difficult, so you limit the problem space by making an assumption (eliminating some of the possibilities), or redefining it as a different (simpler to solve) problem.

* Problem you’re solving is only difficult FOR YOU (or your team) and you cut corners to save yourself from learning.

I know it sounds harsh when phrased this way. But it’s useful to stop and think which scenario you’re facing before you cut your corner. Are you robbing yourself of an opportunity to become a better developer?

Of course, there are plenty of situations where you wouldn’t want to take the time to educate yourself on the right solution - time pressure, you’re not expecting to encounter this problem ever again, etc. But there’s also plenty of them where you can learn.

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Have a good one,

Wojciech

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