Use a Whiteboard

In the age of AI, an IDE is not your main tool anymore. A whiteboard is.

LLMs now write more and more code. And humans spend more and more time thinking about systems.

And what is the best tool to use for systems thinking? A whiteboard. As low-tech as it can possibly be.

I visited an Amazon office in Vancouver the other day (my former student took me for a tour!). Do you know what they have in every elevator? You guessed right. A whiteboard, to sketch some boxes and arrows.

When you start solving your next LeetCode problem (see Tip 64) -- before you type your first line of code -- stand up and get to a whiteboard (or a blackboard if you're cool). Start drawing your thoughts -- that will force your brain to think.

Whiteboards are also fantastic for collaborative work. When you're alone, a pen and paper are often enough. But when you're working with others (see Tip 192), nothing beats a big vertical canvas, waiting for what y'all have in mind!

A fancier IDE will not make you a better developer. A good old whiteboard will.