The Riskiest Thing You Do All Day Happens at Five to Six
Look at when you do the things you cannot undo. The merge to main. The migration you run by hand. The delete query, with the where clause you checked twice. The difficult reply to the person who is upset. The approval on somebody's large change. For most people they gather at the end of the day. Not by choice. They gather there because that is where finishing is. The work runs all afternoon, and…
The most perilous activity most people undertake daily occurs between five and six in the evening. This is not a choice, but a result of the natural workday wind-down. The final step of any task is the one that finalizes it, committing it permanently. This critical moment arrives when our energy is at its lowest. Fatigue sets in, and we desire to conclude our day, whether it be to catch a train, attend to a child, partake in dinner, or feel it merely serves as a formality.
The mistake often lies in the formalities. A merge to the main branch, a manually run migration, a delete query with a double-checked where clause, a challenging response to an upset individual, or an approval of a substantial change are all high-stakes actions. Yet, when executed without a second chance, they can lead to catastrophic consequences for the entire team.
These errors are not due to negligence, but rather the natural state of our minds at the end of the day, when we are faced with a single, irreversible task with no opportunity for rectification.
To mitigate this risk, it is suggested to divide the work into distinct phases, each scheduled during our freshest hours. Irreversible actions should be planned for the morning of the following day. By assigning these tasks an appointment, we ensure they receive the attention they deserve. Write the command or response ahead of time, place it where it will be the first thing seen, and then cease.
The work is only complete when it is ready. Pressing the button can be deferred to a more alert version of ourselves. In the morning, with our full faculties, we will review what has been done, catching any overlooked errors that could have caused significant trouble later.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
