I don’t have a fancy morning routine.
No 5AM wake-ups.
No Notion dashboards.
No coffee in a minimalist setup with lo-fi beats.
I usually wake up late. Scroll LinkedIn. Check Dev.to...
But every Sunday, without fail, I open my laptop and refactor my old code.
Not to fix bugs. Not to build new features.
Just to read my past self’s code and make it a little better.
That’s my weird little ritual.
And honestly... it changed how I write code.
Messy Projects, Lazy Sundays
It started accidentally.
One Sunday, I opened an old JavaScript project that barely worked, one of those final_version_realfinal folders.
The code was full of console.logs, duplicated functions, and CSS that looked like spaghetti.
But instead of feeling embarrassed, I started cleaning.
Renaming variables. Reorganizing files. Removing useless code.
One hour later, I wasn’t just refactoring, I was learning.
From myself.
No Rules, No Frameworks
I don’t follow a strict process.
I just open any old project that randomly pops into my mind, could be a React app, a Python script, or even a CSS art experiment from months ago.
Sometimes I realize how much I’ve improved.
Sometimes I realize how weirdly creative past-me was.
And sometimes… I can’t understand what on earth I was thinking.
But that’s the beauty of it, it’s raw, honest progress.
Small Tweaks, Big Wins
Refactoring doesn’t mean rewriting everything.
It means:
- Renaming bad variables like
temp_data_final3to something human-readable. - Removing unnecessary code that does nothing.
- Replacing old logic with something more elegant.
- Adding comments where my past self left chaos.
- Updating CSS that makes my eyes hurt.
Each tiny improvement feels like a conversation with the person I used to be.
It’s weirdly comforting, like mentoring your younger self.
What I Learn Every Week
Every Sunday teaches me something new:
- Readability beats cleverness. If I can’t understand my old code, it wasn’t clever, it was confusing.
- Consistency matters more than complexity.
- Small refactors compound over time. My codebase (and my brain) feels cleaner every week.
- Old code is not embarrassing, it’s a snapshot of your growth.
I used to feel guilty seeing messy code.
Now I smile. Because it means I’ve grown.
Why I Stop After a Short Time
Here’s the trick: I never spend more than 2 hours.
Even if I’m in the flow. Even if there’s more to fix.
Because I don’t want to burn out.
I want to look forward to next Sundays.
To that quiet moment of reflection between the old and the new.
It’s not about perfection, it’s about connection.
What I Don’t Do
❌ I don’t follow tutorials for this.
❌ I don’t rewrite everything from scratch.
❌ I don’t treat it like work.
I just open my projects folder.
Pick something random.
And have a chat with my past self through code.
Final Thoughts (From One Developer to Another)
If you feel stuck, unmotivated, or overwhelmed by “learning new stuff” every day, try this:
Don’t chase new frameworks. Don’t start 10 new projects.
Just revisit your old code.
Refactor one file.
Rename one variable.
Clean one function.
You’ll be surprised how much you’ve learned, and how much you’ve changed.
Your old code isn’t something to hide.
It’s something to learn from.
So go ahead, make Sunday your refactoring day.
You’ll thank yourself next year 😉.
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Top comments (29)
I realize this might sound like I'm just venting, but I need to express something: as someone navigating this industry, I'd much rather spend my time with family and on personal pursuits than refactoring code on a Sunday—even if it's only a couple of hours.
Don't get me wrong—I'm driven to grow as a developer, and I recognize this approach could sharpen my skills. But the moment I see 'Sunday' in the title, I lose all motivation. After working Monday through Friday, 9-to-5, where I'm constantly learning and building (while also just trying to stay afloat in a work environment that lacks first-world resources and support), I'm already walking a tightrope. Every day I'm choosing between rushing to meet client demands or taking the time to write solid, maintainable code—the kind that won't come back to haunt me with bugs, that lets me actually rest at night, and yes, that lets me truly disconnect on a Sunday.
I suspect I've been carrying burnout for a couple of years now, largely due to how my company operates. It leaves me questioning: is this career not meant for me, or am I just trapped in chronic burnout? I'm trying to work through this—actively seeking a positive outcome for my mental well-being.
That said, I think this "old me vs. new me" comparison strategy could be powerful if we applied it beyond just code—to other aspects of our lives, identifying areas for personal growth and improvement. Maybe that's how we redefine productivity: not as another capitalist output metric that encroaches on our Sundays, but as something that genuinely serves our development as whole human beings in society.
I'll probably revisit this refactoring strategy someday—when I can genuinely muster the energy and motivation to choose professional development over the precious time I have with my loved ones and myself.
That’s such a heartfelt and honest reflection. Thank you for sharing it so openly 😍
You’re absolutely right, growth shouldn’t come at the cost of rest or balance. My “Sunday refactor” isn’t about grinding on weekends; it’s more of a personal ritual that feels relaxing to me, not an obligation.
But your perspective is such an important reminder that real progress also means knowing when to rest and protect your peace.
What you’re expressing is something many people in software (and other knowledge-heavy fields) eventually collide with: the mismatch between the pace and expectations of the industry and the pace at which a human being can sustainably grow, care, and rest. It’s completely understandable that the idea of spending even a few “bonus” hours on code, especially on a Sunday, feels like too much. You’re not lazy or unmotivated—you’re just tired in a way that goes deeper than sleep can fix. That’s burnout talking, and your intuition to protect your personal time is actually healthy.
The pattern you describe—wanting to do good work, feeling trapped between quality and speed, and lacking the structural support to do either comfortably—is incredibly common. It’s not evidence that the career isn’t for you. It’s evidence that you’ve been functioning in a system that hasn’t allowed you to be the kind of developer (or person) you want to be. Chronic burnout distorts perspective; it makes everything feel like a referendum on your identity, when in reality, it’s about your environment not giving you space to recover or thrive.
Your reframing at the end is profound: applying “refactoring” to life, to values, to how we measure growth. That’s not just poetic—it’s wise. The idea that productivity could serve our well-being rather than deplete it is a cultural shift many of us are still learning to make. And maybe, in this stage, your “refactor” isn’t about the code at all—it’s about rebuilding the boundaries and habits that let you reclaim energy, joy, and curiosity, so that when you do sit down to write code, it comes from a place of fullness rather than depletion.
If you’re open to it, a few things that sometimes help people in this stage:
Name the reality: You’re in burnout. That’s not weakness; it’s a data point.
Make recovery the priority project: Treat rest and boundaries as non-negotiable tasks, not optional ones.
Find solidarity: Talking with others (colleagues, friends, or even online communities) who’ve gone through this can normalize what you’re feeling.
Redefine growth: It’s okay if “getting better” right now means getting better at saying no, disconnecting, or caring for yourself.
You don’t need to earn your right to rest. You already have it.
If you’d like, I can help you map out a small “refactor plan” for burnout recovery—practical steps, like adjusting workload expectations, rediscovering intrinsic motivation, and building a boundary-friendly work rhythm. Would that be something you’d want to explore?
I like your style and I sometimes do like as you, I think refactoring code regularly is needed for keeping everything up to date, however I like the part that you mentioned consistency matters more than complexity.
Thank you so much, Saeed 😍
And yes, you're right, refactoring code is important for keeping everything up-to-date.
This was truly inspiring. Sometimes looking back at our old code is the best way to see how much we’ve grown. I really like the idea of having “Refactoring Sundays”.
Exactly 😁 I'd love to hear more about your experience when you try it 🔥
I love this habit because it shows how real growth happens in small, quiet moments, not in loud routines. Also, refactoring old code is like talking to your past self and seeing how much you’ve learned. This is such a simple reminder that improvement doesn’t always need new tools or new courses but sometimes it just needs patience with your own work and a little time every week.
Beautifully said, I couldn’t agree more.
Growth really does happen in those small, quiet moments. It’s less about chasing new tools and more about showing up with patience and curiosity each time.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment, Shakirullah 😍
Now that's a clever way of solving a problem.
Yeah 🔥 It's an awesome habit to learn from 😍
I bet you are single and no girl friend :)
😂😂😂
Actually, I am a girl 😅
W🔥
😍😍
Something unique! I will give it a try.
Glad to hear that you will give it a try 😍
Dude, This is an impressive idea 😍 Refactoring old code is a good way to improve our coding skills.
Thank you for sharing your journey ❤ Keep up the good work 👏
Thank you so much 😍 Glad you liked the idea 💙
That's a really good idea. Might even fit into one of my days during a week too :) I'll definitively consider this. thanks for the post!
You're welcome 🔥 Glad to hear that you will give it a try 😍
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