Writing Code You’ll Thank Yourself for in 6 Months

Future You Is a Real User

When you write code, you usually think about:

• Making it work

• Shipping it fast

• Closing the ticket

What you don’t think about enough is future you.

Six months later:

• You don’t remember the context

• The requirements have changed

• A bug appears in a “simple” function

• Someone asks you to add “just one small feature”

And suddenly, your own code feels… hostile.

Good code isn’t judged on the day it’s written.
It’s judged on the day it has to change.

Why Code That Works Today Fails Tomorrow

Most painful codebases weren’t written badly.
They were written without the future in mind.

Common reasons:

• Everything is optimized for speed

• Logic is packed into large functions

• Names made sense “at the time”

• No clear boundaries

• Assumptions were never written down

Time exposes what speed hides.

The Real Goal: Reducing Cognitive Load

Future-friendly code minimizes mental effort.

When you open a file after months, good code answers:

• What is this responsible for?

• Where does this logic belong?

• What can I safely change?

• What should I not touch?

Bad code forces you to reconstruct intent from implementation.

Write Code Like a Clear Explanation

Machines don’t need explanations.
Humans do.

Engineers write code that:

• Reads top-to-bottom logically

• Uses intention-revealing names

• Separates “what” from “how”

• Avoids clever tricks

• Makes assumptions explicit

Readable code is not verbosity — it’s empathy.

Small Functions, Clear Responsibility

Large functions hide:

• Multiple responsibilities

• Side effects

• Hidden dependencies

Smaller functions:

• Are easier to test

• Are easier to rename

• Are easier to delete

• Fail in predictable ways

If a function needs comments to explain what it does, it’s doing too much.

Naming Is the Highest-Leverage Skill

Bad names age badly.

Good names:

• Capture intent, not mechanics

• Reduce the need for comments

• Make wrong usage obvious

• Survive requirement changes

You’ll thank yourself later for spending 5 extra minutes naming something well.

Design for Change, Not Perfection

Requirements will change.
Deadlines will shift.
New developers will touch your code.

Good code:

• Localizes change

• Avoids global side effects

• Makes extension easier than modification

• Doesn’t assume today’s rules are permanent

Perfection doesn’t survive reality.
Flexibility does.

Comments Should Explain “Why,” Not “What”

If comments describe what the code does, the code is unclear.

Useful comments explain:

• Business reasoning

• Edge cases

• Trade-offs

• Constraints

• Why something weird exists

Future you doesn’t need narration —
They need context.

The 6-Month Test

Before committing code, ask:

• Will I understand this without context?

• Can I explain this to a teammate?

• What breaks if I change this?

• Is this easy to delete?

If the answers feel uncomfortable, refactor now — not later.

Final Thought: Code Is a Long Conversation

Writing code is not a performance.
It’s a conversation with your future self.

Write code you won’t apologize for later.