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by Etheryte 752 days ago
I don't really agree with this take. Similar to knolling [0], refactoring the code you're working on and that around it should be a natural part of every development flow. If you see a design choice that no longer makes sense, restructure. If code is unused, remove. Etc, we have plenty of powerful tools at our disposal in modern times and always cleaning things up as you go is the only way you will ever keep a code base maintainable. There will never be some magical future where you have time to clean up and refactor those thorny bits, the time is now. Similar to gardening, if you're pruning roses and you see a weed taking root, just pull it out, it's right there. You won't get all the weeds this way and sure, it would be nice to have more time to deal with them, but surely it will help a little.

[0] https://youtu.be/s-CTkbHnpNQ?si=KYwllK4NJY1bjRa3