Building with Intention

There's a tendency in software development to over-engineer. We add layers of abstraction, implement patterns we've read about, and build for scale we'll never need. I've been guilty of this more times than I care to admit.

Start Simple

The best code I've written started simple. A single file. A clear purpose. No framework, no complicated architecture—just solving the problem at hand.

// Sometimes this is all you need
function formatDate(date: Date): string {
  return date.toLocaleDateString("en-US", {
    year: "numeric",
    month: "long",
    day: "numeric",
  });
}

There's beauty in simplicity. A function that does one thing well is better than a class hierarchy that does everything poorly.

Build for Today

We love to plan for the future. "What if we need to support multiple databases?" "What if this needs to scale to millions of users?" These are valid questions, but they shouldn't dictate your architecture on day one.

Build for the problems you have today. When you actually need to scale, you'll have:

• Real data about your bottlenecks
• Actual user feedback on what matters
• Resources (hopefully) to tackle the problem properly

Intentional Complexity

Sometimes complexity is necessary. A payment system should be complex—it's handling money. A distributed system needs coordination logic. An authentication flow requires security measures.

The key is being intentional about it. Add complexity when it solves a real problem, not because it might be useful someday.

// This complexity is justified
class PaymentProcessor {
  private retryPolicy: RetryPolicy;
  private logger: Logger;

  async processPayment(payment: Payment): Promise<Result> {
    try {
      // Idempotency check
      if (await this.isDuplicate(payment.id)) {
        return this.getPreviousResult(payment.id);
      }

      // Process with retries
      return await this.retryPolicy.execute(() =>
        this.gateway.charge(payment)
      );
    } catch (error) {
      await this.logger.error("Payment failed", { payment, error });
      throw error;
    }
  }
}

This code is more complex than a simple function call, but every piece serves a purpose: preventing duplicate charges, handling transient failures, and logging for debugging.

The Questions I Ask

Before adding complexity, I try to ask:

1. What problem am I actually solving?
2. Is this the simplest solution that could work?
3. Can I delete code instead of adding more?
4. Will this make the codebase easier or harder to understand?

These questions don't always lead to the right answer, but they help me pause and think before reaching for the complicated solution.

Conclusion

Building with intention means being deliberate about every choice. It means starting simple, adding complexity only when needed, and constantly questioning whether what you're building actually matters.

It's harder than it sounds. But the result is software that's easier to understand, maintain, and change. And that's worth the effort.