I'm ending the year with a revert. While that sounds symbolic, I mean it literally. I'm reverting a few weeks of work... and I'm happy about it.
If it was up to the AI coding assistant I use, I'd keep plugging along. "Fixing" problems it created, while adding complexity and breaking other features that were working fine before I started messing around.
Then, of course, I'd have to "fix" the new issues, while adding complexity and breaking something else. And so on.
It's tempting, human, and common to keep doing that. It even has a name— Sunk Cost Fallacy. According to the Oxford dictionary, "the phenomenon whereby a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial."
Apparently, even AI experiences it.
Maybe you do too. You can find it in the resume you've rewritten thousands of times and keep "tweaking." Or in the "quick" home repair that spiraled into a major renovation. Maybe even in the career you're holding on to, the one that doesn't energize you like it used to.
This time, I've had enough. I've swirled for a few days and have decided to revert. A clean reset will erase the duplication, unused filters, and unnecessary shoehorning.
But here's the thing: when I rebuild this feature, I am not starting from scratch—I'm starting with a ton of hard-won knowledge.
I know what failed, and I know what had promise. I've uncovered many gotchas and can avoid making those mistakes again. I understand which things require a detailed explanation and which I can fluff.
I have a strategy.
A way to move forward, even if it looks an awful lot like moving backward. And I'm excited for that.
Are there things you're holding onto just because of the time you've already invested? Now is a great time to consider if reverting is right for you.
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