Optimize Code, Optimize Productivity: Removing Lines, Not Writing Them

The fastest Python code is the code you don't write. Unpopular satisfation: deleting code feels better than writing it. Early in my career, I measured productivity by lines written. Now I measure it by lines avoided. What I see everywhere: → Python scripts doing what SQL handles natively → Custom functions rewriting standard library features → 200 lines that could be 20 with the right abstraction → "Flexibility" that no one ever uses → Comments explaining code that shouldn't exist What experience taught me: → Every line is a liability → Every dependency is a risk → Every abstraction is a future maintenance cost → The best code is the code your teammate never has to read What I do now: → Before writing, I ask: does this already exist? → Before adding, I ask: can I remove something instead? → Before abstracting, I ask: will this ever change? → Before importing, I ask: do I need the whole package for one function? The principle: Productivity is not output. Productivity is outcome per line. The broader point: Junior engineers add code to solve problems. Senior engineers remove code to prevent them. The goal was never to write Python. The goal was to solve the problem. When was the last time you mass-deleted code and felt relieved? #Python #DataEngineering #Programming #SoftwareEngineering #Productivity

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