Should you start over?

"Back in my day (1996)" there were no content management systems or visual drag and drop builders for websites. Everything was coded by hand.

It was a lot of typing.

And a lot of planning.

A lot of work.

And a lot of re-working.

It would confuse people to no end that I'd be working on a massive pile of code for three months then suddenly scrap it and start completely over.

Why would you work so hard on something only to toss it in the bin and try again?

Honestly: because sometimes it's the shorter path to the finish line.

When we start a project we have a clear path. We know how we want the code to be laid out, we know how we want this function to work, we know how we want this piece to integrate... we know, we know, we know. And sometimes what stands in the way of taking what we know and what we learn as we go and applying it... is the old code.

We've learned so much as we've gone along that the old code hinders any further development. The code is how we used to think. How we used to put ideas together. How we used to see the world.

The old code becomes the round hole for a square peg. Because as we worked, we changed. And our code... didn't. Or if it did... it got real sloppy real quick. The old code often wasn't compatible with the new code and making it backwards compatible was twice the effort. So, as it happens, we had to start over.

But when we start over, as programmers – or business owners – we're not really starting from scratch. We're starting from experience.

Starting a project over rarely felt like a monumental task once the decision was made. If anything it felt like a measured step back to make that giant, refreshing, leap forward. And it was always a worthwhile journey.

So if you feel like you really want to streamline or consolidate or change something or grow from what you know and what is standing in the way is your "old code" – maybe it's time to start anew and begin from experience.