Why Developers Should ‘Do It Now-ish’
A candid reflection on how small shifts in visibility and urgency—like doing it 'now-ish'—can drastically improve how developers handle documentation, technical debt, and personal growth.
Why Developers Should “Do It Now-ish”
Personal Optimization for Software Developers
We’ve all done it.
A task comes up maybe a bug fix, an improvement, or just writing a bit of documentation and instead of addressing it right away, we think, “I’ll do it later.” Maybe you really do mean it at first. But then life happens. Priorities shift. Time passes. And suddenly, what you planned to handle “later” becomes a ghost item lurking in your subconscious…unresolved and growing heavier by the day.
To make ourselves feel better, we often build this convincing narrative: “I’ve been too busy,” “There were more urgent issues,” or “It wasn’t a priority.” While these things might be true, they don’t change the outcome whatever it was, it still isn’t done.
That nagging feeling? That’s what inspired this idea: don’t do it later do it now-ish.
What Is “Now-ish”?
Let’s be clear: now-ish doesn’t mean right this second. It means soon soon enough that it doesn’t fall into the vague abyss of “later.”
Think of now-ish as the moment just after your current task, before your brain files it under “someday.” It’s your opportunity to act while the context is fresh, the intent is alive, and your future self isn’t burdened by backlog or memory fog.
The Visibility Spectrum: How We Decide What Gets Done
Tasks tend to fall into one of three visibility categories, which strongly influence the likelihood of completion:
- You write it down – On a sticky note, in a planner, or using a task manager. High visibility = higher accountability.
- You trust your memory – You hope your brain won’t betray you. Sometimes this works, but it’s unreliable over the long haul.
- You say it out loud – “I’ll do it later.” Let’s be honest: this often means “I probably won’t.”
The further down this spectrum you go, the more invisible the task becomes. And the more invisible the task, the easier it is to ignore or forget.
Our cognitive resources attention, memory, energy are limited. Factors like stress, fatigue, and context-switching deplete them. That means a task that isn’t made visible now-ish risks vanishing altogether.
Where “Now-ish” Matters Most in Software Development
Let’s ground this concept in practical developer workflows. Two key areas where “do it now-ish” can be transformative: technical debt and documentation.
1. Technical Debt: The Silent Killer of Momentum
Technical debt is a reality of fast-paced development. While the phrase often sounds negative, it doesn’t have to be. It’s not technical debt itself that’s dangerous—it’s how we treat it.
Far too often, we push technical debt into the ether of “later.” Maybe we’ll remember. Maybe we’ll squeeze it into a sprint. Maybe, maybe, maybe. But guess what? The longer we ignore it, the worse it gets. It compounds quietly until it becomes a massive obstacle that derails progress.
Do it now-ish: The moment you identify debt, write it down and talk about it with your team. Create a visible backlog. Use rituals like retrospectives or sprint planning to surface and address it incrementally. A team habit of surfacing and acting on debt “now-ish” is your best defense against technical decay.
2. Documentation: The Work You Regret Skipping
Documentation is the first thing to slip when the dev machine is running at full speed. “I’ll document that later,” we say—when it’s quiet, when we have time, when the stars align. But by then, context is lost.
You think you’ll remember why that one feature was implemented the way it was. You won’t. You assume others will retain the same background knowledge you have. They won’t. You figure README updates are for after launch. They aren’t.
Do it now-ish: Inline comments. Well-structured READMEs. Change logs. Even just a note in the ticket. Anything to make future-you or someone else say, “Thank goodness this is here.”
Documentation isn’t optional—it’s part of the build. The earlier you treat it as such, the smoother your future iterations become.
Create a Culture of Now-ish
You may not always have the bandwidth to finish something immediately, and that’s okay. But make a habit of giving tasks structure and visibility:
- Write it down
- Assign a time or owner
- Add it to the next standup
- Attach it to a backlog item
- Even just start the task for 10 minutes
Give your future self a gift—don’t just say “I’ll do it later.” Commit to acting now-ish.
Final Thought: Pressure from the Calendar
Time is the ultimate accountability partner. When a task is visible and timestamped, it’s much harder to ignore. And that can be the difference between “I meant to” and “I did.”
So next time you hear yourself say, “I’ll handle that later,” pause.
Take a breath.
And decide: Can I do this now-ish?
Odds are, the answer is yes.
Written for developers who want to build better software and better habits.
Written by Norman Fwamba
Software Engineer • Load Testing Evangelist • Systems Thinker
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