The Mental Model I Use Before Touching Any Codebase

After 25+ years in the IT industry, I've developed a mental model that completely changed how I approach any codebase. This is the framework I wish someone had handed me early in my career. They don't teach the real world in bootcamps. Get 25 years of production-grade experience on my YouTube: 🛠️👉 https://www.youtube.com/@lessonsfromproduction ⚡ Typing First Is a Trap The fastest way to get humbled as a developer? Open a new codebase and immediately start typing. I've done it. You've probably done it. And if you haven't done it yet — you will, and you'll remember it for the rest of your career. Because here's the thing nobody tells you early on: the instinct to just start coding feels completely rational. It feels like the right move. It feels productive. And that's exactly what makes it dangerous. Productive- looking is not the same as actually productive. What you're doing is optimising for the appearance of progress. And that confidence? It costs you later. 🏃 Speed Feels Like Progre