Ken's Programming Musings
Personal notes from a coastal coder
There's this moment every programmer knows—when you're staring at a problem, and your logical mind is churning through algorithms and data structures, but something deeper whispers: "That's not quite right." As an INTP with a surprisingly strong feeling side, I've learned that some of my best code comes from delicate dance between analytical precision and intuitive wisdom.
Today I want to share how I've learned to trust that inner programmer's compass—even when it seems to contradict everything my logical mind is telling me.
As programmers, we're trained to think logically. Every algorithm has steps, every problem has a systematic solution, every bug has a root cause that can be traced through careful analysis. But here's what they don't teach you in computer science classes: sometimes most elegant solutions come from that fuzzy space where logic meets feeling.
🦀It was a Tuesday morning when choice hit my desk: PostgreSQL or MongoDB for our new project. On paper, decision was clear—our data was relational, our team knew SQL, and PostgreSQL had a proven track record with similar applications.
🦀But something felt... off. As I walked beach that morning (yes, even before my first coffee), I kept thinking about our team's ADHD-friendly workflow patterns, our iterative development style, and way our data actually felt more like nested documents than rigid tables.
🦀Logic said PostgreSQL. My gut whispered MongoDB. And for first time in my career, I decided to trust whisper.
Result: Six months later, our MongoDB choice had saved us countless hours of schema migrations and made our agile pivots infinitely smoother. My intuition had picked up on subtleties that pure logic missed.
Logic focuses on technical requirements, but intuition reads room. When choosing between equally valid technical solutions, your gut often picks up on team personalities, working styles, and unspoken preferences that make difference between project success and struggle.
When deadlines loom and you don't have time for comprehensive analysis, your programming intuition—built from years of experience—often leads you to solutions that are "good enough" faster than logical analysis could find "perfect" ones.
System architecture isn't just about performance metrics and scalability charts. best architectures feel right—they align with how your team thinks, how your users work, and how your codebase wants to grow.
Sometimes you just know where bug is hiding, even before you've traced through logic. That nagging feeling about a particular function or module? Trust it. Your subconscious pattern recognition is incredibly powerful.
Here's something I've discovered: having ADHD actually enhances programming intuition in unexpected ways. While neurotypical minds follow linear logical paths, ADHD brains make lightning-fast connections across seemingly unrelated concepts.
Pattern Recognition Hyperdrive: ADHD brains excel at spotting patterns that linear thinking might miss. That "sudden insight" about why your algorithm isn't working? Often it's your brain connecting dots at lightning speed.
Non-Linear Problem Solving: When you're exploring solution spaces, ADHD's tendency to jump between ideas isn't a bug—it's a feature. Sometimes best solution requires thinking three steps sideways.
Before diving into analysis, I ask myself: "What feels right here?" I don't act on it immediately, but I make note of that initial intuitive response. It serves as a north star throughout logical analysis process.
Then I do work—research alternatives, compare performance characteristics, consider edge cases, estimate implementation time. This is where my INTP nature shines: systematic, thorough analysis.
Here's where it gets interesting: I compare my logical conclusion with my initial gut feeling. When they align, I move forward confidently. When they conflict, I dig deeper—often discovering factors my logical analysis missed.
When intuition wins over logic, I build in extra checkpoints. Small prototypes, frequent reviews, easy rollback options. I've learned to trust my gut, but I'm not reckless about it.
Outcome: simple solution handled our actual traffic patterns perfectly for 18 months. Sometimes "good enough" intuition beats "theoretically optimal" logic.
Intuition is powerful, but it's not infallible. Here's when I've learned to be extra cautious about gut feelings:
Security decisions: Always default to proven, logical security practices. Your gut might miss attack vectors.
Performance-critical code: When milliseconds matter, benchmark and profile rather than trust feelings.
Financial calculations: Math doesn't care about your intuition. Test, verify, test again.
When you're emotionally invested: Strong preferences can masquerade as intuition. Step back and get a second opinion.
Living on Oregon Coast has taught me that most beautiful and resilient systems—like tide pools—exist in balance between structure and flow. rocks provide logical framework, but water brings life through intuitive movement.
In programming, we need both. Logic gives us solid foundation—algorithms that work, architectures that scale, code that performs. But intuition brings flow—solutions that feel right, interfaces that users love, systems that adapt gracefully to changing needs.
best code I've ever written came from honoring both logical tide and intuitive current.
If you're reading this and thinking, "I wish I could trust my programming intuition more," here's my advice: start small. Next time you're choosing between two technically equivalent solutions, notice which one feels better. Don't override logic, but don't ignore feeling either.
Build your intuitive muscles same way you built your logical ones—through practice, reflection, and paying attention to outcomes. Keep a journal of decisions where you followed your gut. Track what worked and what didn't. Over time, you'll develop calibration.
Remember: goal isn't to choose between logic and intuition—it's to let them dance together.
When they're in harmony, you'll write code that's not just correct, but elegant. Not just functional, but delightful. Not just working, but right.
Take a moment to step away from logical analysis and just feel your way through decisions you're facing. What whispers are you ignoring? What feels right that logic hasn't yet justified?
From our coast to yours,
~ Ken Mendoza
Where logic meets tides, and intuition meets code