[hosh]

> "taking a thoughtful approach to the design of the software can vastly improve your productivity in the long run"

I think, taking a "thoughtful approach" is the key to a lot of different practices. "Best practice" as used by most people, in many different crafts and arts, is a method to avoid thinking on what it is you are trying to do.

The most effective kinds of "best practice" are the ones you mastered by making a lot of mistakes, not something you pulled out from a book or a class. It is naive to think you can substitute standards for personal mastery.