Take away the superfluous, and you will find riches. – Seneca
Reflection
Change doesn't just break code.
It breaks the illusion that it was solid to begin with.
You update a library.
One test fails. Another throws silence.
A config you forgot existed dies without warning.
CI lights up with a test no one remembers writing.
Somewhere, a stale dependency unlocks a door you didn't know was still open.
At first, you blame the update.
You curse the release. Roll it back. Shake your head.
But deep down, you know it didn't cause the failure.
It just touched the part of the system you stopped paying attention to.
So you trace the wreckage.
That helper? Built on assumptions no one ever challenged.
That test? Hooked into behavior the docs never promised.
That flag? Left behind by a system that's been around longer than you've been in your role.
And now the room splits.
Not over syntax. Over story.
One side wants to pin the version.
Freeze it. Keep things familiar.
Even if it's already falling apart.
The other side says rip it out.
Clean the slate.
Cut what no longer fits, and build from where you are.
But the tension isn't about the code.
It never is.
You're not debating a version number.
You're reckoning with the code you wrote in a past life.
The past doesn't just linger in your repo.
It lingers in you.
Every upgrade draws a line between what used to be fast and what finally needs to be right.
Between what got you through and what might hold you back.
Between who you were under pressure and who you are when you build with clarity.
Software matures when you delete with intention.
So do you.
You don't just ship code.
You ship patterns. You ship shortcuts.
You ship every decision you never thought you'd have to revisit.
But not everything should make it into your next release.
Stability isn't about holding still.
It's knowing what to leave behind so that what matters can move forward.
Welcome the update that breaks what won't bend.
It's giving you the chance to rewrite more than code.
Today's Insight
A system that never changes becomes a statue.
People don't use statues. They walk past them.
Action Steps
- Inventory Your Dependencies - Pick five: libraries, tools, workflows, beliefs. Which still serves the developer you are now?
- Write a Self-Changelog - List three changes. What did you remove? What did you improve? What's still leaking through?
- Refactor Your Role - Find one responsibility you inherited. Redesign it with who you are now, not who you were when you first took it on.
Consider This
If you're still maintaining it just because it's familiar, ask yourself: who are you doing it for?