I am really, really wishing that I'd left myself a failing unit test before the 4-day Thanksgiving weekend. Picking up the pieces this morning and answering "O.K., what's next?" took too long, even though I left a checklist of what to do next. A failing unit test might have jump-started the process by providing instant focus.
Yes, having a test failure when I come into work on a Monday is always a great thing, assuming I'm in the middle of a project. It's an undervalued trick, I think.
Yep, and not surprising at all, despite not being obvious either.
Leaving small loose ends on a project provides you with easy access to “the zone” by giving you a clearly defined thread of details to pick up one by one. You can follow it until the whole picture is in your head again. A thread that leads you into the labyrinth rather than out, if you will.
Thanks for the thought.
