Comment by hinkley

I always hated the “write your code like the next maintainer is a psychopath” mantra because it makes the goal unclear. I prefer the following:

Write your code/tools as if they will be used at 2:00 am while the server room is on fire. Because sooner or later they will be.

A lot of our processes are used like emergency procedures. Emergency procedures are meant to be brainless as much as possible. So you can reserve the rest of your capacity for the actual problem. My version essentially calls out Kernighan’s Law.