When "Clean Code" Makes Things Worse

I used to be obsessed with clean code. Meaningful names, no duplication, tiny functions, the whole thing.

Then I realized I was writing code for readers that didn't exist. Most of the time, it's me coming back six months later. And future me doesn't care about how pretty it looks — he just wants to know what it does and why.

Sometimes "clean" means you abstracted all the logic into little pieces that are harder to trace. Now I write slightly messier code, but with huge comments. Easier to follow. More honest too.