I still remember this one clearly.
I was working on a feature that needed two slightly different components. Naturally, I thought:
“Hmm… let’s be smart and make a reusable abstraction up front.”
So I spent a few extra hours generalizing the logic, creating a “flexible” component that could handle any edge case I might encounter in the future.
It had flags. It had configuration. It had callbacks.
It was... beautifully abstracted.
📉 What Happened Next
A week later, requirements changed. The two components diverged. The flags grew. The logic tangled.
Suddenly, I was maintaining a monster that tried to do everything—and pleased no one.
Instead of helping, my abstraction slowed me down. I ended up deleting the whole thing and rewriting each component separately. They were simpler. Easier to test. Easier to reason about.
🤯 What I Learned
Don't abstract until you have at least 3 real use cases.
Premature abstraction feels like a smart move—but often, it’s just guessing in the dark.
What looks “clean” today can turn into tech debt tomorrow.
🛠️ What I Do Differently Now
- I copy-paste more in the beginning (yep, you read that right).
- I wait until duplication hurts before abstracting.
- I treat abstraction as a response to repetition, not a prediction.
💬 Real Talk
Sometimes "Don't Repeat Yourself" needs to take a backseat to "Keep It Simple".
If you’ve ever built a generic framework for a problem that never scaled—hey, I’ve been there. And I promise, you're not alone. 😅
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