Day 3 of 31: Refactoring Code, Refactoring Habits

Started later than usual today. Not because it’s Saturday, but because two days into this 31 day sprint my brain is already feeling the cost of reading line after line of code for more than 12 hours a day. There’s a very real point where the text editor starts to blur and every function begins to look the same.

Today, I got carried away and ended up refactoring more than just subscriptions and permissions. The original plan was clear, but the “trying to perfect” part of my brain took over and started nudging me toward all the little things that “would only take a few minutes” to clean up. Those “few minutes” add up quickly. Still, I’m pretty optimistic I can catch up over the weekend and get the roadmap back on track.

This isn’t the first intense stretch of work. Over the last few years of running the company, I almost always let work get prioritized over health, especially when things got intense with clients, deadlines, and launches. At the time, it felt justifiable: “It’s only for a few weeks,” or “Once this release is done, I’ll reset.” But those sprints sometimes turned into habits, and the cost on energy, focus, and well‑being became impossible to ignore.

That’s a mistake I’m definitely not willing to repeat.

So this month is going to be tight, but there’s one non‑negotiable rule. The body gets its workout time, not just the brain. Even if it means slightly slower progress on the codebase, it’s still a net win if it keeps me clear headed and sustainable for the long run.

As I keep refactoring the product, I’m also trying to refactor the habits behind it, how I plan my day, how long I sit in front of the screen, and how often I step away to move, breathe, and reset. The goal isn’t just to ship better software at the end of these 31 days, but to come out with a better system for how to build it without burning out.