When deadlines are tight, most of us are tempted to write quick hacks. “I’ll just fix it later,” we say. But here’s the truth: later rarely comes. Those hacks pile up, turning into what’s known as technical debt — and technical debt is one of the biggest reasons projects collapse.
Why quick hacks feel good (but aren’t)
In the short term, hacks feel like progress. You deliver a feature faster, you impress your manager or client, and everyone’s happy. But that short-term gain hides the long-term cost: bugs, instability, and endless firefighting.
The cost of dirty code
Harder onboarding → New developers take weeks to understand spaghetti code.
More bugs → Small changes break unrelated features because the system isn’t predictable.
Slower development → Every new feature takes longer because you’re fighting with the old mess.
The power of clean code
Clean code isn’t about being fancy — it’s about clarity. Anyone should be able to read your code and understand it. Some simple practices that go a long way:
Write descriptive variable and function names.
Keep functions small — each should do one thing well.
Remove duplication — don’t copy-paste logic, refactor it.
Add comments only when necessary. The code itself should be self-explanatory.
💡 Takeaway: Writing clean code might feel slower today, but it’s the fastest way forward tomorrow. Quick hacks win the sprint, but clean code wins the marathon.
-shaheen amjed
-https://shaheen-amjed.vercel.app
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