Build the Simplest Thing That Works

I needed a CRM the other day. Not Salesforce, not even a web application. I just needed a way to track contacts, notes, reminders, and a small product catalog.

Before writing any code, I focused on the constraints first.

Mind Map Your App Before You Write a Line of Code

A new project starts as a complete picture in your head. Then you open an editor and realize you have no idea what to do first. That gap is where projects stall.

From 1,069 to 156 LOC: Design Over Code

I wanted to migrate a content drip system. My intuition said "web app," and instead of Django (comfort zone), I'd learn Axum, a Rust web framework. Two sessions with Claude Code and I had something real: 1,069 lines of Rust.

If only I had asked first: Does this need to be a web app?