Jumping In vs Slowing Down
One of the biggest challenges I’ve come up against in my web development journey is planning. It’s something I’m still learning and actively trying to get better at. Like a lot of beginners, I often feel the urge to jump straight into building. I love the excitement of seeing things come to life in the browser, so sitting down to map out ideas first can feel slow or even unnecessary. But over time, and especially now as I revisit an older project, I’m starting to realise just how crucial that early thinking phase is.
Starting Over with Intention
I’ve decided to redo a gym booking app I built in React during a course, and this time, I’m forcing myself to take a more thoughtful, structured approach. The original app works well enough on the surface, which makes starting over a bit intimidating. But I can already tell that simply “making something work” and making it well-designed, scalable, and maintainable are two completely different goals. I want to push beyond just functional code and into code that’s smarter, more efficient, and more aligned with best practices.
The Problem with Rushing Ahead
One of the things I’ve learned is that the first solution that comes to mind isn’t always the best one. In my original project, I used logic that technically worked, but it wasn’t clean or well thought-out. It got the job done, but the code quickly became more complicated than it needed to be. As the app grew, those early decisions made it harder to build new features or make changes without breaking something. What seemed like the quickest route ended up creating confusion and extra work later. Without a clear plan from the start, you end up patching things as you go, which can lead to a lot of time spent untangling logic that could’ve been simpler from the beginning.
Planning Reduces Friction
Improper planning doesn’t just affect your coding, it also affects your mindset. When I don’t know exactly what I’m building, it’s easy to get stuck or overwhelmed halfway through a project. I might waste time rebuilding features I didn’t think through, or get discouraged when things don’t behave the way I expected. Planning helps prevent those frustrating moments because you’ve already considered the structure, flow, and potential issues before they arise. It’s not about predicting every detail perfectly, but about having a clear enough roadmap to move forward with purpose.
This Time, I’m Doing Things Differently
So this time around, I’m slowing things down. Before I write a single line of code, I’m sketching out user journeys, defining core features, and thinking more carefully about how the app should be structured. I want to challenge some of my earlier assumptions and see if there’s a better way to solve the same problems. It’s definitely uncomfortable redoing something that technically “works,” but I know this is the kind of challenge that will help me grow.
A Work in Progress
It’s still early days, and I don’t have all the answers yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing how this new version of the app evolves. I want this project to reflect not just my coding skills, but my ability to think through problems more strategically. Planning might not be my default mode yet, but I’m learning that it’s an essential part of building anything worth being proud of.