Before writing a single line of code, take one day to model your data.
Find the central entity that drives your system — everything else will naturally revolve around it.
This simple discipline turns chaos into clarity, prevents endless refactors, and keeps your logic aligned with real business needs.
Modeling isn’t bureaucracy — it’s efficient laziness: thinking once, well, so you never have to redo the same work.
Why I Spent a Few Hours Modeling Before Writing a Single Line of Code
There are two types of developers: those who open their editor and create tables as needs arise, and those who first pull out paper and pencil.
I belong to the second category. Not out of dogmatism, but out of pure laziness: I hate doing the same work twice.
Modeling before coding is like reading instructions before assembling IKEA furniture: it takes 5 extra minutes at the start, saves 2 hours of frustration later.
Recently, I developed a GDPR training management application for SMEs. Strong constraint: Regulatory Compliance certification, meaning total traceability required. No room for shortcuts.
Result: one day of modeling, 25 structured tables, and since then... zero refactoring, zero side effects, zero headaches. Here's why this initial discipline changes everything.
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