When I start a new project I'm excited about, my first instinct is often to dive right in. This is especially true of my most recent idea which I discuss here.
After talking to others and convincing myself that my idea had potential, I started sketching out potential layouts almost immediately. In general, this is a good thing. I try to have a bias for action whenever possible.
"Move fast and break things" - Mark Zuckerburg
But often times I have to fight this feeling to move as fast as possible. Spending the extra time to set up ESlint and making a list of tasks in Trello goes against my first instinct. Building these systems early on in a project can give you the stability to move fast later on.
Meditation is a form of infrastructure for our daily lives. It has no immediate benefit, but consistent practice can help us to be happier and work more efficiently in the long-term.
I think infrastructure is often underappreciated....or at least by me. I use moving quickly as an excuse for short sighted thinking. Can you spend too much time on infrastructure? Sure. In the early stages of an experimental technology project, I'm not sure testing your code makes sense. Your time would likely be better spent getting your product to market to see if it even something that people want.
The average person on the street has never heard of React. But Airbnb, Lyft, Facebook, and Twitter all use the React.js framework heavily. The engineers that built this framework which is now used by companies and developers across the globe have had a far larger impact than they could have by building features for a single website or company.
"You can mine gold or you can sell pickaxes"
Right now the blockchain ecosystem is in desperate need of infrastructure. The environment is still young and reminiscent of the early internet days (not that I can actually remember that time period). But building infrastructure requires long-term thinking. It's not glorious. Your friends won't be amazed when you show them or tell them about it. Last time I checked not very many people can name the inventors of the TCP/IP protocol. But these protocols are the backbone of the internet.
I'm still trying to figure out how to change my mindset towards infrastructure. To build something just for myself and/or other builders. I think the compounding effects will be worth it.
