What would I do differently if I had to start again

Picture this: it’s late at night, and I’m staring at my laptop screen, tea gone cold.

The code I’ve been building for months is staring back, full of little knots I tied myself.

Starting over feels like a dream sometimes, a chance to untangle it all. But what if I could? What choices would I rethink?

I love staying on the cutting edge.

From the start, I promised myself I’d always use the latest versions of every tool and package in my project. Think of it like upgrading your phone every time a new model drops, except for software that powers apps.

It keeps things fresh and innovative.

Of course, that means chaos hits with every update.

My whole codebase – that’s the entire set of instructions and files that make my app run – crashes or throws bugs. I drop everything to fix it, digging through documentation like a treasure map to get back on track.

It’s exhausting, but it’s my choice. No one else is doing this for me.

Take the AI SDK from Vercel, for example. It’s a framework, basically a ready-made kit for building AI-powered tools right in web apps.

Their v5 update rolled out huge changes, like smoother ways to add interactive elements. Now, I can plug in their pre-built UI components – those are the buttons and displays users see – and everything flows easier.

Without forcing these upgrades, I’d be stuck in the past, and my users wouldn’t get the cool AI features that make the app shine.

Not every decision was a win, though.

Some of the ways I organized my codebase early on? Total time sinks.

I structured things in a rush, without thinking long-term, and now it’s like a tangled ball of yarn that unravels slowly.

I jumped on these vibe-coding tools too soon.

Vibe coding? It’s like AI-assisted writing for code – you describe what you want in plain words, and it spits out the basics. Handy for quick starts, but it left gaps I didn’t notice at first.

Once or twice a month, I lose a full day refactoring. That’s cleaning up and rewriting code to make it solid, ensuring I fully grasp every line. It’s like realizing your homemade IKEA hack is wobbly and spending hours reinforcing it.

Those bad calls have cost me hours, not to mention money on fixes and delays.

Users wait longer for updates, and I beat myself up over it. If I started fresh, I’d plan the foundation better, sketching out the big picture before diving in.

Ever feel that regret? Like, why didn’t I see it coming?

Here’s the thing: the good choices keep me going.

That constant push to innovate with the latest tools? It forces growth. I learn new tricks, spot improvements others miss, and my app stays relevant in a world where AI evolves overnight.

But the pains teach lessons too.

Those refactoring days remind me to pause and think.

Next time, I’d mix discipline with my excitement – maybe set aside time for reviews before committing to wild structures. It’s not about perfection; it’s about building something that lasts without burning out.

Starting again isn’t just a fantasy. It’s a mindset. What about you? If you could rewind, what one choice would you flip?

In the end, these ups and downs make the project mine. Tangled code and all, it’s evolving. And that’s worth the late nights.