I’m not your typical programmer. While some colleagues chase the mythical “10x” status, churning out code at breakneck speed, I embrace the “0.1x” mentality. You might scoff, thinking I’m a slowpoke, but hear me out.

My approach is about more than just lines of code. It’s about building code that lasts. I spend time understanding the problem, not just throwing code at it. I write clean, maintainable code, documented in documentation systems, so even future programmers, ones which I’ll never meet, will benefit become faster and understand what’s going on.

Here’s the thing: while the 10x devs churn out features rapidly, they often leave a trail of destruction in their wake. Their code can be cryptic, poorly documented, and riddled with technical debt. That’s where I come in.

Have you inherited a codebase written by a coding rockstar. It works, but it’s a tangled mess. Debugging becomes an odyssey, and adding new features feels like building on quicksand. This is where my “0.1x” approach shines. I spend time cleaning up the mess, making the software more robust, and writing documentation, such that anyone with zero knowledge can take this project and continue working on it. It might not be glamorous, but it’s crucial.

Did you see how houses are built? The 10x dev might be the one who throws up the walls quickly, but if the foundation is shaky and the electrical wiring is a nightmare, the house is a disaster waiting to happen. The 0.1x dev is the one who goes back and reinforces the foundation, ensures the wiring is safe, and leaves clear blueprints for future renovations.

This doesn’t mean I’m not productive. I may not write code at lightning speed, but my code is reliable, sustainable, reusable and well documented. It saves time and frustration for my fellow developers, allowing them to focus on building new features instead of untangling code.

So, to all the 0.1x devs out there, embrace your approach! We are the unsung heroes of the coding world, ensuring that the foundations are strong, the code is clear, and the path forward is smooth for ourselves and for countless developers to come. We may not be the rockstars, but we are the ones who make the entire symphony possible.

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Hey! More interesting stuff here:

☄️ My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TomerBenDavid

💥 My Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/programmers-quickie/id1281345843

🔥 My Blog: https://blog.code-code-code.com/

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